Book a time for free immigration counselling
Free Movement offers free-of-charge residence permit counselling every Wednesday from 5 PM to 8 PM in Helsinki at Pengerkatu 6 or online.
- Send an email to vapaaliikkuvuus(at)gmail.com, explaining your situation briefly. Tell us if you need a translator.
- You will receive a time slot for counselling as a response email.
- Come on time and bring with you all the relevant documents like a decision from the Migration Service, a residence permit card or a passport.
- Please, let us know beforehand if you have to cancel!
We can help with
- Filling out residence permit applications
- Questions about asylum, citizenship, deportation and residence permit processes
- Finding the right service
About our work
Free Movement is a network and an association organizing for universal freedom of movement.
We believe in standing together. That is why our service is free, volunteer-run, and independent.
We are not lawyers and do not give legal advice. Counseling is provided by volunteer experts.
All discussions are confidential. We do not share what you tell us with anyone – unless you ask us to.
How do find us
We are open every Wednesday from 5 PM to 8 PM in Helsinki at Pengerkatu 6. You are also welcome without an appointment. Please note that we may not be able to see everyone.
The place is called Coffee Without Borders/Lymy. Look for the big window filled with posters – the door is right there at street level.
Coffee Without Borders
At the same time with immigration counselling, we have a social event Coffee Without Borders. You can get free coffee, tea and snacks, and discuss with our visitors and volunteers.
Coffee Without Borders volunteers often have time to help with questions related to job seeking, study places and language courses.
Welcome!
How to apply for financial support from the Free Movement Association
The Free Movement Association provides support to migrants in precarious situations, including asylum seekers and undocumented migrants. Financial aid is primarily intended for individuals residing in Finland who do not have a permanent right of residence, such as those without citizenship, a permanent residence permit, or access to the Finnish social security system.
Financial support is mainly provided to help with the costs of regularising residence in Finland, such as residence permit fees, other administrative fees, and legal aid. You can also apply for assistance with the costs of the family reunification application process (e.g. the application fee), but not for travel expenses to Finland.
All financial assistance provided by the association comes from donations. As donation amounts fluctuate, each request must be evaluated individually and the assistance usually covers only a portion of the requested amount. You can apply for assistance more than once.
You can apply for financial assistance by calling us or submitting a written application that briefly explains your need for aid. Written requests can be submitted to vapailikkuvuus(at)gmail.com. The Board of the Association aims to process requests as soon as possible.
We can only complete the bank transfer after receiving valid documentation of the expenses (e.g. receipts or invoices). We accept receipts that are up to one year old.
