Visas Not a Christmas Gift For
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ISSUE 51 (130) • 17 DECEMBER- 6 JANUARY 2010 • €3 • WWW.HELSINKITIMES.FI DOMESTIC INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SPORT EAT&DRINK Entertainment Column: War Bank Football Chocolate, takes drags on predicts bribery Chocolate, over TV in Afghanistan slow recovery case Chocolate page 5 page 7 page 8 page 12 page 16 The Best International Masters Degree Programme in SERVICE DESIGN AND ENGINEERING in Europe Management, Innovation, Technology, Architecture, Security, Governance, Strategy Internet, Telecom, Banking, Finance, Healthcare, Government, Social Networks Interior Visas not a Christmas gift for all ministry The processing of temporary visa applications from relatives of foreigners resident in Finland often pro- official vokes controversy and suspicion on all sides. calls for DAVID BROWN her husband and fi ve children would HELSINKI TIMES have remained in Africa throughout the term of her visit, meaning it was hate crime LEHTIKUVA MARTTI / KAINULAINEN WITH CHRISTMAS upon us, most unlikely she would seek to remain families can look forward to spend- in Finland beyond the extent of her ing the holiday season with family. 30-day visa. Especially as the family legislation But for some families this year, get- had no history of overstaying visas togethers have been curtailed by the or seeking asylum. The family in- STT process of getting visas for family volved, who are middle class, and of members living in other countries. good standing within the commu- Filling in visa applications in Finland’s Consulate General in St Petersburg. With some embassies such as nity, were understandably shocked ACCORDING to Permanent Secre- Kiev receiving more than 12,000 and disappointed. “The embassy of- ple have. Being a son or daughter is So is overstaying common? “Un- tary of the Ministry of the Interior visa applications in 2008, pressure fi cial could easily have established of course a far more important re- fortunately it is,” Häkkinen agrees. Ritva Viljanen, hate crimes should is on embassy staff to process the the facts of the case, but instead she lationship than being a cousin or “Many coming from some Third be entered into the penal code. Fin- applications quickly and effective- made a poor decision based on mis- friend.” The Ministry also points World countries do apply for asy- land's current legislation treats ly, something made even more dif- interpreted or missing facts,” said a out that any person denied a visa is lum when they arrive, or perhaps what are known as hate crimes in a fi cult when Christmas can mean a family member. free to apply again later. arrive with a visa for another coun- number of countries as mere com- sudden spike in numbers. The busi- “This really reduces my trust in Häkkinen explains that the vi- try. Sometimes we can see from plainant offences. Viljanen said that est embassies have been in Russia, the way the Ministry of Foreign Af- sa system now operates in the same an application that this person has given that acts like racist or homo- with Moscow receiving 144,000 ap- fairs, and by extension the State, way across all Schengen countries. three family members in Finland, phobic slurs in a public place were plications and St Petersburg a stag- works and I do not feel that we have “We don’t have national visas any- and all of them applied for asylum. crimes that affected entire groups gering 524,000. been treated fairly. Because my in- more. There is free movement with- So of course we have to take that in- of people, society should tackle While reports indicate that some laws are black and live in a poor in the Schengen countries, so once to consideration.” them. Finnish embassies can process vi- country, my mother-in-law is treat- a person has a visa they can travel Finnish foreign representatives She added that the matter was sa requests in 24 hours, delays and ed as a potential criminal!” freely. And within Schengen, there handled a total of 806,156 applica- topical, as the country was expect- backlogs at other embassies can Vesa Häkkinen of the Ministry is only one kind of visa. We don’t is- tions in 2008, a 12 per cent increase ed to admit more immigrants over take weeks. This is perhaps under- for Foreign Affairs says it can be sue ‘family visas’ or the like.” on the previous year. The number of the next decade than during the standable given that the Finnish very diffi cult for people in poorer The criteria for a Schengen vi- applications was the highest ever. past six. "I think these kinds of acts embassy in Chile processed 18 ap- countries to meet the Schengen cri- sa are the same in all countries, are always aggravating," Viljanen plications in 2008, whereas the Thai teria. “We really look at two things: but the statistics make interesting said. "They should not be left on a and Chinese embassies had around will the person leave the country reading. Although globally only The Schengen member states: case-by-case basis. Society must 5,200 each. when their visa expires, and do they 1.5 per cent (11,850) of all visa ap- Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, show, with a public prosecutor at Nevertheless, at a personal lev- have the money to support them- plications were rejected, in some Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, the helm, that this sort of behaviour el, a visa rejection can come as a selves here. We do take the situ- embassies the fi gure can be vast- Germany, Greece, Hungary, is not acceptable." shock. In one recent case an African ation of family members living in ly higher. 78 per cent of all applica- Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, The Interior Ministry and the Po- man (who wishes to remain anony- Finland into account, but we don’t tions fi led in Abuja were rejected, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, lice College on Monday published a mous), who is married to a Finn and have a system where Finnish fam- 39 per cent in Damascus, and 35 in Norway, Poland, Portugal, report indicating that the number has been resident in Finland for sev- ily members can agree to cover all Addis Ababa. By comparison, on- Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden of suspected racially motivated of- en years, invited his mother to visit the person’s costs. The other thing ly 8 per cent of applications fi led in and Switzerland. fences in Helsinki had doubled over him here for the fi rst time. Her vi- we take into account is exactly what Hanoi were rejected, and only 4 per the past year. sa was denied, despite the fact that kind of family relationship the peo- cent in Abu Dhabi. The next issue of Helsinki Times Helsinki Times will be published on 7 January 2010. wishes all readers a Merry For daily news please visit our Christmas and a happy New Year! website at www.helsinkitimes.fi 2 17 DECEMBER – 6 JANUARY 2010 VIEWPOINT HELSINKI TIMES mobilised otherwise politi- THE CONSTITUTIONAL ban cally uninterested citizens. and the proposed curtailing of further religious rights have MOST politicians and commen- also led to debate on the limits tators interpret the acceptance of direct democratic decision- of the initiative as a result of a making. The minaret article is more profound uneasiness. quite obviously in opposition However this feeling is inter- to other, more fundamental preted, the acceptance of the principles in the Swiss con- initiative was in case not only stitution, such as the freedom a victory of Swiss right-wing of religion and the non-dis- populism, as the enthusias- crimination rule. It is there- tic reactions of many Europe- fore questionable if the ban an right-wing exponents to the on minarets is actually im- Daniel Weyermann is a Swiss doctoral Swiss vote might suggest. One plementable. Even if it could student at the University of Turku. The topic of explanation of the strong ap- be implemented in Switzer- his doctoral research is minority group rights. proval for the minaret ban is land, experts argue that it will that the initiative probably be diffi cult to defend it before had the consent of many fe- the European Court of Human male and secular voters across Rights in Strasbourg. the political spectrum. This is in turn explained by the com- THIS CASTS a damning light mon perception of Islam as an on direct democratic deci- Controversies in Switzerland archaic doctrine that oppress- sion-making as practised in es women. Switzerland. To let people vote on issues that are not The recent decision to ban minarets in Switzerland aroused heated debate in Europe TO SEE the result of the vote applicable is dishonest on and brought up propositions directed against Islam also in Finland. Where is Switzerland as a sign of a more profound the part of the legislator, be- discontent amongst the Swiss cause it suggests that there headed after the decision, asks Daniel Weyermann. population animated poli- is a scope for democratic de- ticians of different colours cision-making where it does to an uneasy activism. To do not exist. RELIGIOUS confl icts feature sively eliminated discrimi- lims throughout Switzerland public sphere took seriously justice to the assumed dis- prominently in the history natory treatment of religious were shocked. Nobody, prob- before the vote. content amongst the Swiss, THE BROAD debate in Swit- of many European countries. minorities. ably not even the two parties representatives of centre and zerland on these issues, and In Switzerland, the most em- responsible for the initia- WHATEVER the exact reasons left parties asked to intensify the next legally problemat- inent confl icts – and even THIS ENDED on 29 November, tive, thought that a majority for this strong approval may the integration of Muslims in- ic right-wing initiative on the wars – usually took place when 57.5 per cent of Swiss of Swiss would change their be, the fact is that the mina- to Swiss society.