Have been reading this forum for the better part of this evening, refreshing to see others in my boat as well as sympathizing with those of you who have had to jump through the bureaucratic hoops that the Finns love!
My situation is that i'm a Brit and have lived here since early September with my Finnish Girlfriend who is a research fellow at The Uni. Of Helsinki. She had lived in GB for years and came back to take the job. In Britain I was an Optometrist and like others cannot easily stroll into a similar job here because I need to improve my Finnish skills. This is of course, understandable and as it should be. Luckily through the relocation services at the Uni, I was able to get good advice about what to do and in which order.
Of course the first task was to raise my hand and shout "i'm here"! by registering with the police. I was advised to do this on having the financial support of my girlfriend as she had a regular income and even though I had savings this may have meant I would have provided them with reams of paperwork. In the end my girlfriend only had to show her work contract for it to be approved.
I could not sign in with the Magistratti (though I got a temporary SS number) because although dating, we lived in different towns in GB so the "2 year rule" did not apply, we are not married and I have no job. Of course this means applying for Kela also would be denied. For this reason I have spent my time learning Finnish with the Familiar club and the Kallio education center, as well as doing some voluntary work.
I did sign as a jobseeker in the TE-office in December and they encouraged me to take the full time Finnish course, which makes sense and increases my prospects of work. I haven't paid much attention the entitlements but as I understand it, as I am not on Kela I could not claim anything until the course started.
However after much discussion and research we have decided to get married. The main reason, other than love, is that my girlfriend may very well end up working outside of the EU due to the nature of her job, and not being married may cause headaches if i wanted to join her. Of course that will change things quite a bit here. As I understand it, getting an SSN from the Magistratti and applying to Kela will be fairly straight forward due to me being married to a Finn. However there are a few areas in which I would appreciate any thoughts;
1, Would I have to go to the police and change my reason for being in Finland to a family tie? e.g If the Magistratti is happy because I have family ties but the Police are happy because of financial means would this be an issue for one/both?
2, Would it guarantee me entry onto the health service? While I have not visited a doctor in years, It concerns me that once my EHIC will expire, it'll leave me in some sort of healthcare limbo. I've already told the British health service that i'm here so if I understand correctly, I would be entitled in Finland only once the EHIC crumbles to dust.
3, Would this entitle me to any financial benfits before the FInnish course starts? I have been researching over the weekend and the best I would be able to apply for would be the Integration allowance (Labour market subsidy) yet it seems vague on when you are entitled and if there is a waiting period. Some say you have to be in the country for 5 months, and one said I have to be registered as a job seeker for 5 working days. I am happy to wait for the course to start, so this is no more than a side question.
Otherwise i'm enjoying Helsinki and especially the Saunas! And today I walked on the sea. I felt like Jesus. Thanks in advance for any responses
James
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