Migrant Tales insight: This short letter to the Finnish public is an example of Finland’s inhumane immigration policy. As a refugee, you will get a residence permit, but the price will be a high one: You will have to live alone, separated indefinitely from your loved one.
The Syrian refugee story is one of the many cruel faces of the Finnish Immigration Service.
“I got married on 2015 before an almost 7 months of leaving my country to Finland.
After that I got resident permit and applied for family reunification so I coul live together with my beloved wife. After almost a year and a half wait, my wife got an appointment at the Finnish embassy in Beirut (because my wife can’t visit Turkey as a Syrian ); after that, we had to wait almost another year for a decision from Migration (The Finnish Immigration Service) which was negative. I was devasated and lost as my wife was too but a social worker told me to contact a lawyer which she gave me his name and number. The social worker said he is a very good lawyer.
I went to him and he said, after reading the decision, that migration has some doubts about your marriage. He said that he will write them my answers to dispell these doubts and everything will be fine.
But also after waiting some months a second negative decision came. I was totally broken and told the social worker and lawyer about this. I said that I will go back to my country because I can’t waste my life and lose my wife specially after I lived with her and loved her dearly long before we were married. The social worker and lawyer calmed me down and ensured me that it was another mistake by migration and the lawyer will write another appeal to the high court, which will rule in my favor. After waiting for 10 months, the high cout overturned my appeal.
Before this, my lawyer advised me that if I wanted I could meet my wife in another country and bring some pictures with plane tickets for both of us, hotel booking and send it to the court. I was able to see my wife for the first time since 2015, when I came to Finland.
I can’t describe how bad is my psychological situation and my wife telling me that I have to go back to Syria because we don’t have any hope. My problem is that it is impossible for me to go back to Syria because of the bad situation there. Our problem, our separation, got worse because living without my soulmate was hard.
I can’t focus on my studies or anything else. I feel dead inside.
I’m doing everything possible to bring her to my side in Finland. Maybe I have to go back to Syria, even if I will die there.”