I got a call Friday from a Migrant Tales longtime reader who came to Finland as a child and is in his mid-30s today. “Could you tell me what this message (by the Finnish Immigration Service or Migri) means?!” he asked. “If they send me back to my country I won’t know what to do. I’ll kill myself [before being deported].”
The slip that the longtime reader received from Migri reads:
The bearer of this document can reside lawfully in Finland until a legal decision is made to renew (his residence permit) or deport the person from the country.*
How is it possible that a person who grew up most of his life and lived his adult life in Finland received such a statement by Migri? And then our policy-makers wonder why people are marginalized and excluded from society.
Finland in general and Migri, in particular, should stop their hostile stand on cultural diversity and take a few courses on how customer service.
The first important policy decision that officials should make is to help people feel at home in this country instead of like eternal outsiders. It shouldn’t be code for “this country isn’t your home.”
In the so-called “good old days” of the 1980s, migrants were not only given temporary residence permits but had at one time to apply for a work permit for each employer. Source: piknu.com.
* Todistuksen haltija voi oleskella laillisesti Suomessa asiankäsittelyn ajan kunnes asia on lainvoimaisesti ratkaistu tai on tehty täytäntöönpanokelpoinen päätös hakijan maasta poistamiseksi.
He should be atleast permanent resident or citizen. Seems he is criminal who cant read basic finnish.
Should he feel like home?