I am in limbo with no end in sight.

The failures in Migri's system can force internationals into an abusive marriage and lead to blackmail, as this story shows:

"I am a young woman from the United States. I first came to Tampere as a high school foreign exchange student in 2013. I loved Finland and had the most incredible first year! After finishing high school, I wanted to return to Tampere and my host parents wanted to help me. The only residence permit application that made sense in my situation was an au pair visa, which lasts one year. I came back to Tampere on an au pair visa in 2015.

My intention was to use the year learning Finnish and making connections so that I could hopefully stay even longer. Babysitting the kids did not take up all of my time, so I wanted a part time job. Migri and the TE office had no idea if I was legally allowed to or not because “no au pair had ever tried before.” I was left without an answer. I then wanted to take courses at the university to start my education and was told it was impossible (no mention of open university). I contacted the TE office for jobseeking services so I could qualify for a worker’s visa after my au pair visa ended, and was denied help since I didn’t have the correct type of residence permit. I applied for full time studies at TAMK and was not accepted. With months running short before my au pair visa expired, I decided to marry my boyfriend. My logic was that I planned to stay in Finland, we wanted to live together, and under a spousal visa I would have access to jobseeking services, full time education, and healthcare. I was 18 years old.

Immediately after the marriage my spouse became increasingly abusive and began using drugs heavily. I studied full time, worked, and accessed therapy through the public health services. I stayed in the marriage for 3 years. When I began to challenge my spouse, he threatened me with divorce and deportation. After repeated attempts to extort money from me, he followed through on his threats and filed for divorce with the intention to end my spousal visa and have me deported from Finland.

I went to Migri and told them the whole story. I was in the middle of my studies financed with a Finnish student loan. I wasn’t in a position financially to get a student residence permit and pay 10 000€ a year for my studies. I worked part time, so not enough to qualify for a worker’s permit.

This was 2 years ago. Since then I have had 5 appointments in 3 cities for 4 residence permit applications with zero positive decisions. The extent of Migri’s contribution has been to demand different applications as my life has developed. I’ve graduated, found employment, and began another relationship, and at every turn I’ve been asked to cancel my existing application to begin the process with a new one that fits my updated situation.

I can live and work in Finland but legally I am in limbo with no end in sight.

Now I am nearly 24, and my life is exactly how I want it. Finland has been my home for 8 years. I speak Finnish fluently, enjoy my work, and have a large social circle. But everything I have accomplished, everything I enjoy in my life, has been struggled for against the system. Many young vulnerable women aren’t so lucky."

-- Please sign the petition: bit.ly/ReformMigri