Hundreds of people joined a demonstration in downtown Helsinki on Tuesday afternoon to protest Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's (NCP) right-wing government's plans to tighten immigration rules.
Ten pages of the 240-page government programme are dedicated to the issue of immigration. Among other things, the programme raises the bar for those seeking Finnish citizenship or permanent residence and slashes the number of quota refugees the country will accept.
Police told Yle News that around 400 people took part in the demonstration, which began at Helsinki's Senate Square and ended in front of Parliament House, where speeches were made by opposition MP Nasima Razmyar (SDP), among others.
"This government, I have to admit that it's very different and I am also afraid and also very worried about the programme that this government has and the discussions that we are having at the moment in parliament," Razmyar told the crowd that had gathered in front of the parliament.
"Sure, skilled workers are welcome here, but their families are not. A practical nurse can come here, but they cannot bring their children and family to Finland," the MP said, referring to the difficulty of low-paid workers meeting the income limits for bringing their families in from abroad. The new government programme states that these limits "will not be lowered".
The event was organised by activist group African Anti-Racism Society Finland and afro-community focused Diaspora Glitz Magazine.
"I said to a journalist this morning that I accept the mandate of the government that is in this parliament because they were voted in a democratic process, we are not against them in any way. But we are against the policy of that government, that's what we are against," chairperson of the African Anti-Racism Society Finland Ufoka Eugene said.
Three months 'not realistic' to find a new job
The new government programme dedicates 10 pages to immigration and integration issues, and although it does admit that immigration is "very important for Finland’s economic growth", it also states that "supervision will be increased and abuses will be prevented", and stipulates that "labour immigration must improve general government finances".
In practice, that means tightening enforcement.
One of those measures is to obligate employers to tell the immigration service when a person on a work-based residence permit is let go. Migri would then start a three month countdown on cancelling the permit, if the individual does not find work in the meantime.
Eugene said that the new government's policies offered unrealistic solutions.
"We need to upskill our knowledge for our career, like with Finnish language courses, to make you come back stronger in the labour market, you need a lot of time," said Eugene. "Three months is not realistic."
Other plans include demanding applicants for a permanent residence permit pass a language proficiency test, have a two-year work history without long-term unemployment or income support, and fulfill a tighter "integrity" requirement. The residence requirement will also rise from the current four years to six.
Citizenship rules are also to be tightened, with the minimum residence requirement extended to eight years, along with a "sufficient financial resources" requirement and mandatory civics and language tests.
Eugene said he found this unfair, as immigrants pay the same tax rates as Finns do. "Same tax, same treatment, that's what we are saying," he said.
Programme changing people's plans
Yle News spoke to some of the protesters who echoed similar sentiments.
"I have heard all these horror stories from people that even though you have a PhD from the faculty of medicine, it takes a really long time to find a job because it's highly technical, and I just think it's really unfair that you are only given three months to find the job that you are looking for. And especially this whole thing of you have to be here for six years compared to four years for a permanent residence also really makes things difficult," said Ushanandini Mohanraj, a PhD student from India.
"Half of my friends have already left Finland after they graduated, and now I am thinking in that direction as well. I think it's a waste of resources. The University of Helsinki has provided so much training and resources for six years to make us capable and the government does not understand nor is on par with the university's efforts."
The protest also attracted Finns concerned about the impact the new rules might have on their country.
"As a Finn, I am afraid of the direction of the country in the future and how can we remain competitive in the market if we kick out our highly skilled labour, especially with the three-month policy, like if you have PhD or master's and cannot get a job in three months, but say in four months, what happens then to our country? Are we going to kick out our best talent?," Finnish national Pekka Lehtinen said.
The changes were clearly having a concrete impact on many of the demonstrators.
"I was planning to become a permanent resident and a citizen soon and the new measures will totally change the timing for that. There are qualifications for the requirements in time and also for the language level exams so they will totally change my next year so I need to re-plan how it's going to be for me," said Josmar Regalado, who moved to Finland from Mexico.
Protest co-organiser Ufoka Eugene also drew attention to the need for immigrants to exercise their democratic rights if they want to influence the political process.
Citizens of EU member states, Iceland and Norway residing in Finland, are able to vote in municipal elections under the same conditions as Finnish citizens.
Other foreign nationals can also vote if they have resided continuously in Finland for at least two years as of the 51st day before election day.
"When I speak to politicians, they listen to political power. So when we make noise and we don't vote they don't put us on the agenda. That is why this government does not have you and me on the agenda because we are not voting," Eugene said.