Residence permit questions

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pigdoesasapigdo
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:45 pm

Residence permit questions

Post by pigdoesasapigdo » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:29 pm

Hello everyone.
I'm trying to move to finland soon as my girlfriend is pregnant. Since it is very exspensive to apply without considering the time and cost of going to the right consulate location I am trying to double check that i am doing things correctly. Of course anybody I try calling is unable to help and just seems to want to move me along to someone else. Best i can figure is that I should apply for the permit on other grounds. It says the process will take 3+ months compared to 4+ months if i apply for the regular working/residence permit. This is important as we want to be together as soon as we can for the end of her pregnancy. But maybe more important, and this is the main thing I am confused about, is I believe that if I apply for a permit based on pregnancy grounds then I will still have a right to work but do not have to find a job before i start my application. Meaning I could start my application now rather than in a month or two when, or really if, I find a job. Ideally I want to apply and work here in the U.S. while waiting for the permit then once i get it I could move to finland and while i am there start looking for a job. But ive read and talked to people who say different things about this. Can anyone give me some more solid information or just some advice in general? There really doesnt seem to be much information out there for pregnancy situations. And as i mentioned making phone calls only seems to waste time and hear repeated useless information. Thabk you so much!



Residence permit questions

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agroot
Posts: 578
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2018 5:04 pm

Re: Residence permit questions

Post by agroot » Mon Jan 14, 2019 10:29 pm

Hi! I'm new (still moving) but you can find all the information on their immigration website, no need to call.

I think in your situation you're naturally trying to apply on the ground of Intimate relationship, if not married. But there you will find the right to work under such permit is limited (same as specialists below), and the first permit would take 4-8 months.

If you're married or have lived 2 years at least you could apply the normal type, with unrestricted right to work.

What industry do you work at and at what level? The fastest permit is one month for specialists or management. You'd need to secure a job first. It took me 3 months to pass all the interviews and tests (typically 4-5) so this might not be faster.


Application fee is only 350-420€. It should be the least of your concern as you'd also need to prove your income/saving without a binding job contract in Finland.

pigdoesasapigdo
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:45 pm

Re: Residence permit questions

Post by pigdoesasapigdo » Tue Jan 15, 2019 5:25 am

Ok thank you. It does seem that the permit for an intimate relationship is what i need. I was putting that in the other catagory. Which if that is the case then it would also seem that I do not need to have a job before applying but that once accepted I do have a restricted right to work. Is this correct in your opinion?

I am a floor installer at journeyman level in the state of Washington. Other than that I have basic skills in janitorial and clerking and hospitality. It would be nice to get into flooring as i could make the most money but right now our priority is getting me over there so we can all be together. Which brings me to my next question.
If the application takes 4-8 months and I have to accept their decision in the country from which i applied then I am considering to fly to finland and apply there and then fly back to the U.S. to work until they say if they have accepted me which is when i can return to finland to get my card and not have to leave again. That way I can work and still hopefully be in finland toward the end of the pregnancy. Whereas if i apply in the U.S. I could visit finland and be unable to work and might have to return to accept their decision at critical timing during the pregnancy.
Does anyone have tips or advice in if it is better to apply in the U.S. or in finland?

tavastia
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2016 1:54 pm

Re: Residence permit questions

Post by tavastia » Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:20 am

Note the intimate relationship residence permit requires you to have an income of 1000€ / month, your girlfriend income or money are not considered your income.

Also the right to work is restricted to these:

* in the top or middle management of a company or in a specialist position requiring special skills
* as a professional athlete, coach or trainer, or sports judge or referee
* in the service of a religious or non-profit organisation
* professionally in the field of science, culture, or arts, with the exception of musicians playing in restaurants
* in an international organisation or in a position related to official co-operation between states

Does your floor installer fit job into this?

heretostay
Posts: 637
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 12:54 pm

Re: Residence permit questions

Post by heretostay » Tue Jan 15, 2019 1:17 pm

Bring her to the USA for a visit and get married while she is there. Then a residence permit will be MUCH easier to get approved.

pigdoesasapigdo
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Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:45 pm

Re: Residence permit questions

Post by pigdoesasapigdo » Tue Jan 15, 2019 4:21 pm

Do you know if that has to be income every month or can I have that as saved money? For example if I have 6000e saved they could see I could last for 6 months. Or maybe i need to have 1000e per month for the entire duration of the permit. So if i get a year long permit I would need to have 12000e to apply? Because if I don't get a job until after I move there then all I will have is what I am able to save by working here the next few months while waiting for the application process.

As for if my flooring skills would fit into one of those categories that's not up to me is it? It seems that someone would need to define what specialist position and special skills mean. Also if I get a job what determines if it is middle management? Those restrictions seem very arbitrary to me so how am I to know if my trade fits into one of them?

These are the kind of things it would be nice to talk to someone who actually works in the embassy about. But nobody I've called seems to know or want to talk and help me.

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agroot
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Re: Residence permit questions

Post by agroot » Tue Jan 15, 2019 6:36 pm

I didn't apply for that but the website looks clear:


For married, "Income requirement" in https://migri.fi/en/spouse-in-finland-w ... nce-permit

which will lead you to https://migri.fi/en/income-requirement- ... in-finland

so the two of you should have to prove yourself being able to support you, your wife and your child, which could mean +1000 +700 +500 = 2200 EUR per month, after tax and pension.

no mention of current deposit, but perhaps showing them your past bank statements/contract together with a deposit for a few months can convince them?

The embassy is probably not the right place to ask, as their role in the application process is to fingerprint you and collect the fee, while the rest is handled by the immigration in Finland. Have you tried to contact https://migri.fi directly by email?

------------------------------------------------------------------

As for specialist, on https://migri.fi/en/specialist/en

Specialists for example include:

- IT experts
- experts in some field of specialisation who have a higher education degree
- other persons with a higher education degree whose work requires expert knowledge

the higher education means a Master's degree not Bachelor's I was told (need confirmation). And the salary must be 3000 EUR minimum.

but most importantly, I guess, is that companies looking for specialists actually want those from outside of EU because of shortage. That means experienced - I didn't see any company looking for juniors on the job board of my industry.

------------------------------------------------------------------

top and middle management looks even more difficult, https://migri.fi/en/top-and-middle-management

- Your employer’s number of employees and turnover must be high enough so that it qualifies as a large enterprise. The company must have a clear division into top and middle management.
- You have subordinates and you belong to top or middle management.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Getting a non-specialist job is probably difficult, as the unemployment rate has been high comparing to neighboring countries, and you're not Finnish.

I understand you want to move by the time baby is born, but the timing is probably impractical. Have you considered other options? Moving first and trying to get a job later is suicide from what I gathered elsewhere... It's not too easy to get a job even for foreign students graduated in Finland.

vla
Posts: 262
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2018 12:23 am

Re: Residence permit questions

Post by vla » Tue Jan 15, 2019 8:20 pm

pigdoesasapigdo wrote:
Tue Jan 15, 2019 4:21 pm
As for if my flooring skills would fit into one of those categories that's not up to me is it? It seems that someone would need to define what specialist position and special skills mean. Also if I get a job what determines if it is middle management? Those restrictions seem very arbitrary to me so how am I to know if my trade fits into one of them?
Do you speak Finnish? If you don't, I think it would be almost impossible to find a job in your field, or at least very difficult. It's possible to live in Finland only with english, but for some works you would need Finnish.

tavastia
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2016 1:54 pm

Re: Residence permit questions

Post by tavastia » Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:13 pm

For married, "Income requirement" in https://migri.fi/en/spouse-in-finland-w ... nce-permit
For married with a Finnish citizen there is no income requirement.

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agroot
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Re: Residence permit questions

Post by agroot » Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:58 am

tavastia wrote:
Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:13 pm
For married with a Finnish citizen there is no income requirement.
Thanks for correction!

So the actual link for OP is https://migri.fi/en/spouse-is-a-finnish-citizen
Processing time
5-9 months

Income requirement
You do not need to have secure means of support.

Right to work
You have an unrestricted right to work. You cannot start working before you get a residence permit.
That should address most of his problems. The only one remaining is how he will find a job.

quillcentaur
Posts: 91
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:00 am

Re: Residence permit questions

Post by quillcentaur » Mon Jan 21, 2019 5:02 am

You can apply for the permit without limits on right to work even if you're not married because she's pregnant:
https://migri.fi/en/cohabiting-partner- ... sh-citizen

pigdoesasapigdo
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:45 pm

Re: Residence permit questions

Post by pigdoesasapigdo » Mon Jan 21, 2019 1:50 pm

Thank you all for the help.
We will not get married unless it is the the absolute last possible thing we can do. Governments shouldn't be involved in wether I want to get married or not in my opinion and she wants to be married in a church with both our families in attendance, which would not be possible for a couple years.
But anyways I have done more research and talked to some people at immigration. It appears that I will always have a restricted right to work unless married, like some of you mentioned, or if I get a permit based on family ties. That would mean I need to be made a guardian after the child is born. Do any of you have experience with becoming a guardian of a Finnish child? And the other question would be if anyone might know how easy it would be to change my permit from residence permit based of intimate relationship with restricted right to work to the residence permit of a guardian. I know it will take time but I wonder if I have to wait for my first permit to expire to apply for the other kind. I forgot to ask this unfortunately and calling usually takes 30+ minutes on hold before a human answers the phone.
As for work, talking with my girlfriend it seems I would easily be able to get work in a construction company through connections she has as long as I have the unrestricted right to work. That sounds to be the big problem now. The right to work certain jobs or not. So if anyone had advice on how I might find work in the specific areas I would be allowed once I get my permit that would also be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again!

pigdoesasapigdo
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:45 pm

Re: Residence permit questions

Post by pigdoesasapigdo » Mon Jan 21, 2019 1:53 pm

quillcentaur wrote:
Mon Jan 21, 2019 5:02 am
You can apply for the permit without limits on right to work even if you're not married because she's pregnant:
https://migri.fi/en/cohabiting-partner- ... sh-citizen
Oh thank you! I didn't see this till after I made my last post. I will read up on your link.

tavastia
Posts: 527
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2016 1:54 pm

Re: Residence permit questions

Post by tavastia » Mon Jan 21, 2019 1:58 pm

Getting you to be the guardian can be anything from a simple form to an long process which can involve even a DNA test, all it depends how they will consider that you are actually the father.

Getting a permit changed can be done as you wish, of course there are costs and time involved (1st family tie permit is like 500€) and takes over 9 months. Good thing about that is you can stay in Finland during that time and have no restricted work access.

Getting a permit based on work is also possible, process is not so long like with the family ties but you will have some income requirements to fulfill which does not apply of family member with Finnish citizen.

Iftikharshah
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2018 11:42 pm

Re: Residence permit questions

Post by Iftikharshah » Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:39 am

Hello!I applied for first resident permit on family ties.its alomst 4 months.my wife is Finnish citizen.my question is can I allow work.please if someone know tell me please.thank


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