Beginning the Process of Immigration

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Sentay
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2021 3:59 am

Beginning the Process of Immigration

Post by Sentay » Fri Nov 05, 2021 4:06 am

Met a Finnish lady 4 years ago, we're in a committed intimate relationship with the intention of marrying in Finland for both personal and legal reasons once things open back up and such a thing is even possible. I'm a US citizen (CA) with no criminal anything, clean driving record, no tax foibles or any other disastrous record blemishes, I'm currently learning basic Finnish vocab with Duolingo with the intention of taking a proper Finnish course as soon as I can whilst simultaneously working full time to build capital for this endeavor. We haven't lived together for 4 years (saw each other and got to meet her parents briefly before CV-19 pandemic hit), we don't have a kid or any kind of long term legal document but we would like to get one (if we can do so safely without putting either of us at risk). Is there anything I can or should be doing to prep, prepare, or begin this process (looking for some kind of direction besides save money, and talk frequently).



Beginning the Process of Immigration

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jenkkipoika
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2021 8:47 pm
Location: Mäntyharju, Finland

Re: Beginning the Process of Immigration

Post by jenkkipoika » Fri Nov 05, 2021 2:35 pm

Not sure what you mean by things opening back up since you can fly over here now and get married if you want to if you're vaccinated. I am a US citizen and flew here in July and married my Finnish partner. Not sure what you're waiting for then. Even if you aren't vaccinated they do allow partners in intimate relationships in as well. If you do go the marriage route though prepare to get your "no impediments to marriage" documents all set ahead of time and approved by the DVV before you schedule your marriage here.
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SecretCode
Posts: 146
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2013 8:01 pm

Re: Beginning the Process of Immigration

Post by SecretCode » Fri Nov 05, 2021 5:57 pm

The main question is, assuming you don't have enough savings to live on for a few years, how do you plan to make an income? Will you be able to work remotely in your US work, or are you planning on getting employment in Finland? If the latter, there are limited opportunities - mostly in IT - for work in English.

Don't assume you can learn enough Finnish in a year to consider applying for jobs that require Finnish! You really need to be immersed in it several hours every day, ie, to be in the country.
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FinlandGirl
Posts: 1329
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2019 10:43 am

Re: Beginning the Process of Immigration

Post by FinlandGirl » Fri Nov 05, 2021 7:42 pm

Sentay wrote:
Fri Nov 05, 2021 4:06 am
Met a Finnish lady 4 years ago, we're in a committed intimate relationship with the intention of marrying in Finland for both personal and legal reasons once things open back up and such a thing is even possible. I'm a US citizen (CA) with no criminal anything, clean driving record, no tax foibles or any other disastrous record blemishes, I'm currently learning basic Finnish vocab with Duolingo with the intention of taking a proper Finnish course as soon as I can whilst simultaneously working full time to build capital for this endeavor. We haven't lived together for 4 years (saw each other and got to meet her parents briefly before CV-19 pandemic hit), we don't have a kid or any kind of long term legal document but we would like to get one (if we can do so safely without putting either of us at risk). Is there anything I can or should be doing to prep, prepare, or begin this process (looking for some kind of direction besides save money, and talk frequently).
There are two ways for you to proceed:

You can get an appointment for the affidavit of non-impediment at the US embassy in Helsinki with your marriage a few days afterwards, fly for that and a honeymoon to Finland, and stay living in the US with some visits until you will get the residence permit in late 2022. Expect to spend 2023 in a language course for immigrants since you likely won't be able to learn Finnish that well from abroad.

Or you get an appointment for the affidavit of non-impediment at the US embassy in Helsinki with your marriage a few days afterwards, apply for the residence permit in Finland, and spend the time until you will receive the residence permit in late 2022 with learning Finnish in Finland.

Sentay
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2021 3:59 am

Re: Beginning the Process of Immigration

Post by Sentay » Sat Nov 06, 2021 1:40 am

So acquire affidavit of non-impediment before I head over in any capacity and I need to get that signed and verified by an official of some description (the DVV whatever that acronym stands for).
SecretCode wrote:
Fri Nov 05, 2021 5:57 pm
The main question is, assuming you don't have enough savings to live on for a few years, how do you plan to make an income? Will you be able to work remotely in your US work, or are you planning on getting employment in Finland? If the latter, there are limited opportunities - mostly in IT - for work in English.

Don't assume you can learn enough Finnish in a year to consider applying for jobs that require Finnish! You really need to be immersed in it several hours every day, ie, to be in the country.
I would like to work in IT (I already build my own computers and have taken formal courses in Microsoft's program suite) but there's no openings for anything that isn't manual labor or customer service out here in the boonies. Did you guys manage to find work when you moved, cruise on savings, or did you have an income source from your home country that you could tap remotely?
Last edited by Sentay on Sat Nov 06, 2021 1:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

jenkkipoika
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2021 8:47 pm
Location: Mäntyharju, Finland

Re: Beginning the Process of Immigration

Post by jenkkipoika » Sat Nov 06, 2021 8:02 am

I'm living off of savings right now while I wait for my permit to be approved. When I applied in September it was projected to be a nine-month wait. I'm taking a Finnish course in the meantime at least. You don't need to get the affidavit done at the embassy, but it's probably the easiest if you can swing it. It can be done on your own in the states and then you partner can submit it to the DVV and wait for approval, but it's not always easy getting the apostille done depending on your location.
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FinlandGirl
Posts: 1329
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2019 10:43 am

Re: Beginning the Process of Immigration

Post by FinlandGirl » Sat Nov 06, 2021 12:42 pm

Sentay wrote:
Sat Nov 06, 2021 1:40 am
So acquire affidavit of non-impediment before I head over in any capacity and I need to get that signed and verified by an official of some description (the DVV whatever that acronym stands for).
It's easiest to acquire it at the US embassy in Helsinki, you can make an online booking for the in-person visit.
Sentay wrote:
Sat Nov 06, 2021 1:40 am
I would like to work in IT (I already build my own computers and have taken formal courses in Microsoft's program suite) but there's no openings for anything that isn't manual labor or customer service out here in the boonies.
There are thousands of people with a university degree in computer science from India who would move to Finland immediately if they could get a job.
Many apply when Finnish companies post job offers on Linkedin.
Will your formal qualifications be better than the qualifications of Indians who are competing with you for jobs in Finland?

Finding a job in IT requires either several years of work experience, or formal education from Finnish vocational training or university/UAS.
Some Microsoft certificates alone will be of little use.
If IT is the career path you want to pursue, then start with getting proper formal education for that in Finland.

Sentay
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2021 3:59 am

Re: Beginning the Process of Immigration

Post by Sentay » Sun Nov 07, 2021 6:46 pm

What about applying as a student to get formal training (for something) in country, one of my Finnish contacts said that any US degree would be next to useless compared to a Finnish one (advocating for going here first to get proper Finnish language courses and some trade or profession).

FinlandGirl
Posts: 1329
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2019 10:43 am

Re: Beginning the Process of Immigration

Post by FinlandGirl » Mon Nov 08, 2021 10:56 pm

Sentay wrote:
Sun Nov 07, 2021 6:46 pm
What about applying as a student to get formal training (for something) in country, one of my Finnish contacts said that any US degree would be next to useless compared to a Finnish one (advocating for going here first to get proper Finnish language courses and some trade or profession).
IT is the only field in Finland where you can start a career without Finnish.
Finnish is not useless in that case, but not the highest priority as in any other profession.

A degree from a renowned institution like MIT or Stanford is also recognized in Finland.
Everyone knows that many colleges in the US are crap, and employers wouldn't value degrees from institutions whose quality they cannot judge.

The application period for studies at Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences starting in Autumn 2022 is in January, you should check study options.

If you want to start studying already in Autumn 2022 (and get a study place), you might have no choice other than a residence permit for a student unless your family ties application is processed very fast.
A residence permit based on family ties exempts you from the € 10k - 12k annual tuition fee that is charged from non-EU citizens.


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