The immigration system is broken! Regards, your friendly neighbourhood immigrant
The Finnish government, in the mid-term budget proposal, has presented increased work-based immigration as a solution to Finland’s economic troubles. But once again we seem to have forgotten how clueless we are when it comes to immigrants’ well-being in Finland!
The assumption is that challenges exist only in the arrival process, and once one arrives and gets a permit to stay, it is smooth sailing after that. Newsflash: An easier permit process is just the tip of the iceberg. Making Finland a society that works well for immigrants as well requires a lot of work in removing structural challenges that affect people’s daily lives!
There are as many ways to be an immigrant as there are immigrants. It is hence crucial to remove these structural challenges and offer multiple ways to overcome them, instead of focusing on an outdated language-first model that has proven to not work for everyone.
It is also important to remember that we immigrants are also regular people, who require the same so-called regular services from society, including healthcare, education, and cultural facilities. Cuts to these public services is also one type of anti-immigrant politics, even though this aspect is often ignored in public discussions.
To sum up, let’s reject surface level solutions that aim to improve immigrants’ lives from a narrow perspective of permits and language courses, and focus on multiple solutions, such as improved employment opportunities, more affordable housing etc, that consider the bigger picture and actually improve immigrants’ well-being in Finnish society!
