Family reunification policy expected to tighten

[The Ripper]

Family reunification policy has been under discussion in Finland for some time. The Somali community in Finland is now worried that Finnish policy could be influenced by changes in nearby countries.

YLE reported yesterday that family reunifications in Sweden had effectively ended. Swedish authorities now demand identity documents that are very difficult for Somalis to obtain in Somalia given the country's lack of a functioning government.

”Immigration is quite young in Finland, so we wonder why the Finnish policy often follows those in Sweden and Denmark,” says the vice-chairman of the Finnish Somali League, Abdiaziz Godah.

Finnish policy is also expected to tighten yet further after additional restrictions were introduced in the last parliament. Travel expenses are now only be reimbursed for quota refugees accepted by Finland, and DNA testing to ensure family members are related will continue.

”If the goal is to have a coherent policy, then the reference point will be the other Nordic countries,” said Heikki Taskinen, head of the Finnish Immigration Service. "Presumably, further tightening could still happen.”

Much depends on the programme of the next government, after immigration became a key issue for some successful candidates in campaigning ahead of the last parliamentary election.

YLE

LOL @ "young immigration policy". Its not young, it was simply a lot tighter for a long time. I doubt any major changes will occur, though. The statistics will be tweaked to hide the true figures, at most.

[The Ripper]

Somalis living in Finland will find it more difficult to bring family members to this country next year when new rules are to take effect.

The exact stipulations of expected legislative change remain unknown but according to a report aired on Thursday by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE), the aim is to harmonise family unification policy among the Nordic Countries.

Sweden has introduced new rules under which someone wanting to join a family member already in the country must have reliable identification documents. In Somalia’s cases this effectively means that arrivals would need to produce a passport issued before the Somali state collapsed in 1991.

Yusuf Mubarak, chairman of the Finland-Somalia Society says that implementing such a requirement would amount to an end to family unification.

“Why would a Finnish citizen who came from Somalia at one time, who is studying at university or serving in the military, be denied such a fundamental right?” Mubarak wonders.

Mubarak feels that such a narrowing of the right to family unification is a violation of human rights.

However, he also feels that changes in legislation are in order.

“One condition might be integration into Finnish society, such as having a job. The debate has gone in the wrong direction. Resources in Finland have also not been used efficiently enough, in the form of interpreter services offered by Somalis”, says Mubarak, who has lived in Finland for 20 years.

One issue that has been raised recently in the debate over family unification is the question of so-called anchor children. The term refers to underage asylum seekers who are sent to a recipient country so that the child’s family can follow.

The veracity of the family ties has been checked in Finland through DNA testing, for instance. Both Mubarak’s Finland-Somalia Society and the Somali League denounce all deceptions.

“The prevention of questionable unification cases is in the interests of both Finnish society and the immigrants”, Mubarak points out.

“Getting close relatives of an immigrant to Finland is an integration question”, he adds.

I laugh at how they can still after so many years tout the "potential" Somalis offer in the form of "interpretation services" - in other words services for other Somalis, paid by the tax payer. A resource, or a an enterprise eating our common resources? :rolleyes:

[Aces High]

Yusuf Mubarak, chairman of the Finland-Somalia Society says that implementing such a requirement would amount to an end to family unification.


Why.?..they can always go back to Somalia.

[BeerBaron]

This pisses me off royally, I fuckin hate the fact that I (as a pure Norwegian with 2 Norwegian parents and ties to Norway that go back as far as my family is recorded) can't be a citizen of Norway but fuckin africans can come in droves. I know you're talking about Finland but from what I've read the problems are similar.

[Aces High]

^

Where there's a will there's a way,just up sticks and move there...and stay.Problem solved.

[BeerBaron]

^ I am currently looking for work there, I think they should shut off all money for "refugees" and give it to scandinavians in the form of tax incentives to have kids, and give scandinavians living abroad citizenship, many will move back to scandinavia, that solves the population problem and the refugee problem