Helsingin Sanomat on Saturday was revealed that Migri had denied the residence permit application and filed criminal charges against a Mongolian nurse who had obtained a qualification and worked in Finland. YLE on Sunday reported that Migri has granted work permits to Thai women for massage work without the knowledge of the authorities responsible for combating human trafficking.
Haatainen said that he hopes the agency will present its answer as quickly as possible and added that he cannot comment on the details of the nurse’s case until he has studied the answer.
He assesses on a general level that changes in attitude are definitely needed.
“The historical background of the Immigration Office may have been that it has strictly looked for reasons to prevent someone from entering Finland. The current situation is that we need work-based immigration. Of course, you have to check the background [of applicants]it’s quite obvious, but I’m sure there needs to be some kind of attitude change here.”
Haatainen also refused to comment on whether the agency’s organizational structure should be reformed, for example, to create a separate lane for work-related immigration – an idea that has become public.
He added that the Finnish government has already discussed organizing work permit procedures.
Migri belongs to the administrative sector of the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry of Economy and Labor is responsible for work-related immigration.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page