need advice and/or information

[bruce]

I am an American citizen who is interested in staying in Helsinki, Finland for longer than the visa-waiver program will allow me. I would like to go to university in Finland at some point, but I believe that all of the deadlines are up for this year. I can not do the Highly Skilled Worker Progam (if one is even available in Finland), but are there minor jobs that I can have a visa for? If so, would it be possible for me to find one of those types of jobs while I am there (not apply before I leave)? I know that Finland likes to keep it's jobs mainly for finnish people, I am just curious as to what my options are. Also, does anyone know of any other options for me as far as studying goes? If there are other types of studies I could do starting anywhere from August 2006 to January 2007 I would very much like to try that.

[Hank W.]

Basically you'd have the applications for January courses in the polytechnics in the autumn. Not too sure if they have much of a chice of English programmes available then. For other universities, you'd need to have a bachelor's degree from 'back home' as the basic degree programmes are taught in Finnish. Check out http://finland.cimo.fi

Finland doesn't have an "immigration policy " as such, yet atleast - if you got a talent someone in the whole EU is not willing or able to do, you might have a chance of finding an employer to go through the worker's resident permit process. For unskilled labour you probably lack the skill wanted - speaking Finnish - that'd put you on a notch above all the other foreigners with permits already trying desperately to find a job.

If and when you get in as a student you can work part-time - finding a job then again isn't that easy.