Why move to Finland, not Sweden?

[masao]

Dear Masao,

Masao, I have understood that you are from Japan or Korea. How are the immigration rates in your country then

Hi. The Gallup above is interesting because it clearly shows the mental tendency of the many Finns: that the alternative is always for the worse. That's one of the reasons AFAIG the current President still gets high supports.
By the way more detailed article (Gallup) is in today's HS. Andrea, is that you?

Whoever you are, masao is my real name and am Asian-Japanese.
If you would like to start a new thread on Japanese immigration, be my guest. I am not interested, though.

t, masao

[toukokuu]

Dear Masao,

I am not Andrea if you asked me.
When it comes to Japanese immigration, with a quick internet search I found the information that Japan has one of the most homogeneous populations in the whole world. The immigration law and policy is restrictive. Well, we have soul mates in Japan, then!

But both Japan and Finland are facing aging population and definitely will have to change immigration policies and quickly..in order to provide services to their citizens.

But the discussion was about Finland and Sweden. To add one issue to that, there was a small article in some Finnish newspaper earlier this year, probably in the HBL /our Swedish newspaper. A Swedish speaking Finnish boy went the first classes of primary school in Finland. Then his family moved to Sweden. In the fifth class, on a maths lesson, he had to say that he has learnt these things already in the second class in Finland. The Swedish school was focusing much more on the social- that the students and teachers interact, and that everyone can be heard and be well. The boy liked more the Swedish school system. Very interesting!

[ellierae]

I have always wanted to go to Sweden but ended up four times in Finland due to the fact when booking anywhere in Sweden for holidays it was expensive and then I had friends who had visited there and they told me that things where expensive once you was there hence why I chose Finland and I am glad I find the Finnish Language great and I have found it alot easier to speak its the spelling that gets me after saying that I use Swedish in times of need while I am in Finland but I don`t want to appear lazy.
I will be flying out to a place called Yllas in Lapland in 5 weeks time (I can not wait) I am still learning Finnish and a bit of Swedish due to being on the Sweden-Finland border.
Maybe next year Sweden here I come (might be on the Silja Line ferry though from Helsinki)

[Emi]

It's been a year and half (exactly today!) since I left Finland, and a year and 5 months since I moved to Sweden so I think I can summarize a bit the topic.

After 12 months in Finland, Sweden appears to be second Poland in the world... Immigrants call it a land of paradox, where really everything can happen. One big mess, I'd say...
For example... the way Migration Office and Tax Office work. New rules for EU-citizens were provided with the end of April last year. One can move here freely and stay up to 3 months (turist/job searching). To get a job usually personal number necessary. This you can get by applying in the Tax Office. Alright, if you only have a place to live, then the number will be given to you. And then, you're told to contact Migration Office to register your stay. What they forget to mention is that only people with a job and studies with their families can be simply registered. Those ones, who wanna base their stay on a relationship with a Swedish citizen have it much more difficult! (noticeable it is that if you for example have a German boyfriend/girlfriend, and he/she has a job in Sweden and is registered, then you can just register as their partner without problems, problems start, when your partner is a native Swede!) Then you need to apply for a stay permit, fill all the papers where they ask really stupid questions, and then wait almost in eternity for their reply... I haven't got mine yet (my old stay permit expired, and I needed to get a new one, but I don't have a job and for school I'm waiting - applied and just need their answer coming latest next week - I just have a Swedish boyfriend I'm living with), though I applied for over a month ago.

Nevertheless, you actually don't need a stay permit/registration at all! You can open a bank account without it, and exchange a driving licence (it is more difficult to get a Swedish ID after 1.01.2007), and you can even visit a doctor - based on your personal number, which for Swedes is one of the most important things in the world, if not the most important (ok, different from Poland ). Why to apply for a stay permit then? Nobody knows...

Speaking of doctors... Theoretically after getting your personal number, you get as well a paper to fill and send to Swedish KELA If you don't send it... nobody knows what it changes, as having a personal number is the only thing required to get a state help... But to "register" you need a copy of registration form from Migration board or a stay permit...

If you try to get some information somewhere, you won't get it, unless you're fluent in Swedish. If you're not, they'll send you to their websites for information - where info is hidden and written in such a strange way that even Swedish native-speakers have problems with getting a point of... On the main site an information and then if you get deeper in links, you see, the one on the main site is no longer valid! And this on the sites of authorities like Migration board for example.

Swedes seem to be very open after 12 months in Finnish woods of the archipelago. But that's just an impression. "Friends" who say they'll help you with something, never do it. Why? The answer is the same as in migration board question, nobody knows. They'll tell you anything you wanna hear, but rather away from the truth...
Those Fins who I met were the most honest people in the world!

People here (in Sweden) are trying to find a hundred ways of avoiding taxes... which is the most similar Swedish feature to Poles, my countrymen. They'll even hire a cleaning lady and say that it is just a little neighbour help, even if it comes up to 20h a week (which is 1/2 of the full work week)... Everything but not pay...

Sometimes I have an impression I'm not in the North Europe anymore, have nothing in common with Scandinavia. Well... not being able to make many friends - that was Sweden have in common with Finland
Though... my number of real Finnish friends, who's been in touch since I left: 5
Number of Swedish friends after longer period: my boyfriend only.
Nice comparison it is...

And one more thing which I loved about Finland - the originality. The clothes, and the fact how little people care about how they really look and what's considered more is what interesting you can say, not how you look - Sweden seems to be... just exactly other way around.



Well... I'd move probably back to Finland if not my boyfriend here. And the language - I'm already fluent in Swedish (though it happens that I'm asked if I come from Finland, still speaking with a Finnish accent sometimes ), and of course, I am going to learn Finnish as well, but... as long as I am in Sweden, Finnish is for fun. And it is easier to learn then

Greetings to everybody who I met and those you I didn't as well



This thing is posted because of my second short visit in Finland since I left. Stay heavy!

[Hank W.]

So, was the grass greener on the other side of the fence? Even though you were living somewhere in the archipelago with fishermen and now in the big city, so theres maybe a bit of that difference too.

[Susan]

Hi Emi! =)
Nice to see you're back...in a way.
Thanks for the nice report about your experience in Sweden.
It's interesting to hear that Swedes are not as friendly as Finns. I have heard that Swedes are very open and more talkative than Finns, but well, sometimes being talkative doesn't mean anything.