American staying in Finland with native for more than 3 mo.

[Rip]

As you saw with the previous reply with the "personal relationship" permit (what ever you call it, the one that is applied with MUU or OTHER grounds (not marriage or 2 year cohabitation)) you'll have no idea if you will get it all - and then if you do, the rights that come with it are pretty meager.

Then from less official point of view, being a "girlfriend" isn't a career. In this country being a "wife" isn't one either, and with typical number of kids not even being a "mother". Think what you actually want to do here, apart from the relationship and start making plans for that - it will also greatly improve your chances that either you or boyfriend will not later get fed up with the situation. You are an American; your biggest challenge in immigrating here isn't in getting the initial permit.

I get the impression that you're fairly young and maybe don't have that much education yet either(?). If so, applying for study place and related permit would seem like sensible idea. Study permit does not have the best benefits, but I think it still beats the "other" category, and after two years with your boyfriend (or marriage) you can upgrade the permit. If, after a while, you notice that you weren't meant for each other hopefully the studies will be off some use to you anyway. If you can't start studies before autumn, you can still have that three months on "tourist trip(s)" in the meantime without even applying a visa.

[Elephant]

Blackquartz,

Have you looked at the pdf for the ole_muu form that you have to submit for the personal relationship permit? They don't need any input in person from your boyfriend. The input from him would be in Question 3 where you state where you are going to stay. And in Question 5 where you could include a letter from him that you are a couple and will continue to be one and other proofs like vacations, visits etc that show how long you've been together. All that can be done without him being there. The same way foreign women married to Finns can apply for resident permits in their home countries without the Finnish spouse being present.

I applied through the DC embassy in January 2011. Called every 2 months to check on the progress but all I heard was "it's still being processed". I called to cancel it in July when my boyfriend got news of the US job transfer. I'm attaching the link for the information they asked for and that I submitted. http://www.finland.org/public/default.a ... ture=en-US
They don't require that the Finnish boyfriend be present.

Of course, my experience is only my experience and yours will be different. I wasn't trying to discourage you from applying when I posted my response. Just wanted to give you more information before you made a drastic decision such as quit a good job for a gamble that may not payoff.

If you meet the income requirements... and don't mind living here "illegally" if the processing takes longer than the 90 days Schengen visa...then DO IT!

[Elephant]

Forgot to add, with the Schengen visa you can stay 90 days in any 180 day period.
I'm attaching the schengen visa calculator in case you're interested. There is a pdf user guide at the bottom of the page that explains the rule in detail.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/wh ... or_en.html

[blackquartz]

Hi guys,
Thanks for your input- Rip, no I'm not terribly young, but you are correct, I don't have any big 'career' (I'm an independent contractor with a small business) or education, never been remotely interested in college (though American college sucks)... because of my total lack of interest I don't know what on earth I would study there, but I suppose that is the only remote option... also, are schools there expensive?
Elephant- thanks for that info! So, is it required that I apply in my home country then, because is it a known fact that it takes long to process, or could I do it once I'm in Finland and wait for it there?
Thanks again!

[betelgeuse]

also, are schools there expensive?

There's no tuition. Basically you only need to cover your living expenses.

[Beep_Boop]

Looking at your questions, I highly recommend that you read up on FInland a lot more before considering making any decision.

[Flossy1978]

Hopefully your first thought about studying would be to study FINNISH above anything else. You can get into the integrated plan and even be paid to take the courses. But this will only happen if you get a residence permit based on your relationship.

And it's so much easier to apply for a residence permit Outside of Finland. Since you come from a decent country, it should be easier and quicker to get if you have all i's dotted and t's crossed. Mine took about two weeks to get.

Good luck!

[blackquartz]

Wow, education is free?! What a novelty...
Flossy, yes I actually am studying Finnish already, but I would definitely want to continue while I'm there...
Are you an American that applied for a residence permit based on your relationship too?

[blackquartz]

Elephant-
Another question; are you saying that they need you to prove how long you've been together? And are there any rules as to the minimum amount of time you should be together? didn't see anything stating that on the website but wondering..

[blackquartz]

Flossy- another question; couldn't I just get a residence permit based on studying alone?? If I was planning on taking a language course?

[Beep_Boop]

Flossy- another question; couldn't I just get a residence permit based on studying alone?? If I was planning on taking a language course?

A residence permit cannot be issued based on studying a language course.

[Upphew]

Flossy- another question; couldn't I just get a residence permit based on studying alone?? If I was planning on taking a language course?

http://www.migri.fi/services/faq/reside ... s/students number 10

[blackquartz]

Ok thanks, I figured that was too good to be true!

[blackquartz]

For any studies that do qualify for a residence permit, would this just be through a normal university or some other program(s)? And all of them are free of tuition? Some general 'study in Finland' sites I came across seemed to have all these $400 application fees or something, but that is all?

[Beep_Boop]

For any studies that do qualify for a residence permit, would this just be through a normal university or some other program(s)? And all of them are free of tuition? Some general 'study in Finland' sites I came across seemed to have all these $400 application fees or something, but that is all?

I'll just quote myself

Looking at your questions, I highly recommend that you read up on FInland a lot more before considering making any decision.

At this point, you're just being a help vampire (http://slash7.com/2006/12/22/vampires/)
You're unwilling to put effort to help yourself. Start here:
http://studyinfinland.fi/
http://www.migri.fi/frontpage