I would like to move to Finland

Lauren1993 · Post by **Lauren1993** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 1:50 am

Hello everyone, my name is Lauren and I am hoping to move to Finland one day. I was hoping that you may be able to help me to figure out how to do that.

A bit about me, I am a 21 year old female from the USA. I am single with no Finnish blood or family ties. I do not speak much Finnish but I wish to learn. I spent a summer in Finland a few years ago but I have never lived there.

I was taken in as a teenager by a Finnish Family that had moved to the USA but I was never adopted so I have no legal Finnish family ties so I know already that this will not help me to get a residency permit there. It is just one of the reasons I would like to move to Finland one day.

Do you think it would be possible for me to move legally to Finland? How might I be able to go about it?

Any and all comments, opinions and questions are welcome. I am very open minded and willing to listen. If I am being stupid about this or anything, I want to hear it because I want to be as realistic and rational as I possibly can.

Thank you for your time,
~Lauren

**Sponsor:**

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 11:28 am

The easiest ways would most likely be some kind of exchange year through your studies, or doing a masters degree in Finland. In other words, a residence permit based on studies.

Beep_Boop · Post by **Beep_Boop** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 12:05 pm

I'll stress on what others have already said. In my opinion, your best option is to come as a student. You'll have a chance to live here, try to work a bit, and eventually decide if you want to stay for good.

caster · Post by **caster** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 2:58 pm

By writing legal move - what you have or had in your mind that can be illegal

Your parents adopted you when you are a teen and got no documentation - do you care to be precise

caster · Post by **caster** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 6:23 pm

tummansininen wrote:Don't read more into it than it is. Outside perspective is that anyone can go into any country anywhere in the world as EITHER a legal or an illegal resident. Because that's how it is in the USA, and also in Australia, and the UK... if you manage to get in, it's possible to live there just fine. But in Finland, being an "illegal" isn't really possible, because if you are not "in the computer" then nobody will employ you. But that's not something the whole world knows - Finland is pretty unique in that way.

I thought the initial question was about what counterfeit will work

Flossy1978 · Post by **Flossy1978** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 3:00 am

I think she may have used the term "legally" because she's American. We all know they have a lot of problems with illegals. I don't think for one second she was trying to be shifty.

Lauren1993 · Post by **Lauren1993** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 1:01 am

Flossy1978 wrote:I think she may have used the term "legally" because she's American. We all know they have a lot of problems with illegals. I don't think for one second she was trying to be shifty.

Yes, that is what I mean. I don't want to cause any problems for anyone and obviously I would need to have a job and all.

caster wrote:By writing legal move - what you have or had in your mind that can be illegal Your parents adopted you when you are a teen and got no documentation - do you care to be precise

Not adopted, they took me in. They had legal guardianship of me but never adopted me. It was a foster type of thing, my mom gave me to them.

caster · Post by **caster** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 1:36 pm

Lauren1993 wrote: Not adopted, they took me in. They had legal guardianship of me but never adopted me. It was a foster type of thing, my mom gave me to them.

Ask you parents to check from the nearest Embassy/Consulate about Remigration

http://www.migri.fi/remigration

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 1:58 pm

You can still do an adult "adoption"...

Lauren1993 · Post by **Lauren1993** » Fri Apr 24, 2015 8:06 pm

tummansininen wrote: You need to factor this into your long-term plans - if you don't speak fluent Finnish when you arrive, you might have several years of unemployment, so you will need plenty of savings to bring with you.

Is there a site that says or does anyone know what the cost of living in Finland is? If I knew that then I could know how much money I would need to put away in case it takes me a few years to become fluent in Finnish and find a job.

Lauren1993 · Post by **Lauren1993** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 6:59 am

tummansininen wrote:There are such sites, but the last one I saw was stupid because it used apartment sizes and ways of life that single new immigrants in large cities don't typically use, particularly young people (ie 60sqm apartment all to yourself and driving a car).

The amounts that the Finnish government believes you need to survive:
students in degree programmes about 7000e per year (they qualify for transport, housing and meal discounts)
single adults about 12 000e per year
two adults living together, about 20 000e per year.

I would estimate that most of us would consider those numbers to be incredibly low. But they will feed you and clothe you if you're not obsessed with brand names.

For an estimate, in greater Helsinki a single room in a shared apartment is about 300e for students or 400e for others and a single apartment (yksiö) is about 600e for 20-30 square metres.

That isn't too bad, even if it is realistically a few thousand more. It is less than I spend here.

njmac · Post by **njmac** » Sun Jun 07, 2015 4:02 pm

what education and/or work experience do you currently have? I would say that saving money before you move to Finland is doable but your money will be used up quickly. Learning Finnish outside Finland is very optimistic in my opinion, and learning it to a level where you will be employed is very difficult. You will have a better chance of gaining work here without speaking Finnish in the south of Finland, in the larger cities, especially if you have skills and/or business connections that are in demand. It depends on the company, the industry in general, your skills, your connections etc. I'm lucky that I found an employer in Finland that appreciated my skills and international connections. Speaking Finnish wasn't strictly necessary because of the nature of the work.
Do your foster parents have any plans to come back to Finland? Do they have any family or friends here who would help? Are they aware that you would like to move here?
Actually come to think of it.... I would suggest you visit for a long holiday first before you plan anything more permanent

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