Thousands have applied for a “90 day Finn” scheme that offers tech professionals a chance to relocate to Helsinki.
Finland received more than 5,300 applications in a month for the scheme, which has now closed.
The Helsinki Business Hub’s scheme invited foreign professionals and their families to live in Finland for 90 days to see if they would want to move there permanently.
The Helsinki Business Hub promised to arrange everything from documentation to housing, daycare and healthcare for the participants.
Frequently ranked as the world’s happiest country, Finland has one of the lowest coronavirus rates in the world.
According to Johns Hopkins University Data, the country has recorded 524 Covid-19 deaths and just 34,821 cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic.
Johanna Huurre, marketing communications director at Helsinki Business Hub, said: “We were expecting this program to appeal to a good number of professionals, but the influx of inquiries and the number of high-quality applications exceeded our wildest dreams.
“This is proof that Finland truly has a charm that intrigues people far and wide, both as a safe and stable environment and as a leading global technology hub.”
The Helsinki Business Hub said 30 per cent of the applications came from people in the US and Canada.
Around 16 per cent of the applicants were entrepreneurs, and 12 per cent were currently unemployed or wanted to find a job in Finland.
The applications came from countries all around the world with more than 50 Britons applying and one applicant from the south Pacific island of Vanuatu. People from South Africa, Israel and Australia also applied.
“During a time of lockdowns, wildfires, social injustices and political turmoil, people living in strongly affected yet highly expensive areas have begun to ask themselves how they could have both a career and an enjoyable family life,” said Ms Huurre.
“We decided to offer them an opportunity to experience what life has to offer outside of their regular hoods. In the Helsinki region, both singles, couples and families are able to combine work, family and leisure in a way that is hard to imagine for many Americans."
