Apply! Finnish Visa Extension

Today was a BIG day for us...we submitted our Finnish residence visa extension applications (that is a mouthful) with the requested non-smiling mug shot photos. When we moved here in August Charlie and I had applied for and received residence permits--my permit expires in August 2012 and Charlie's expires in June 2012. Since we are staying here for another year, we must apply for an extension to our original residence permits. Charlie applied for a normal extension, since he now has a full-time work contract (his initial contract was part-time). I, on the other hand, applied for a "family ties" extension, since I have no work contract, no grant, etc. The success of my application rides on three things: 1.) our marriage license, 2.) Charlie's full-time work contract, and 3.) my affiliation with the Finnish Institute of Educational Research (FIER)--where I currently do my research.

Our "mug shots" for the extension...we look like criminals!

The process was painless, although time consuming. We filled out about 30 pages of application questions which included some very funny questions. For example, "When did you begin to see/date each other and how did this happen?" Ha ha...do they really want to know the details of this story? After sharing our entertaining relationship story, we then scheduled a time to meet with the visa dudes through their on-line system.
We arrived at 9 a.m. for our 9:15 a.m. meeting and a young Finnish dude with capri jeans, spiky hair, and a "New Orleans Music Festival" jacket called our names. He went through Charlie's application first--making sure every question was answered and every form was attached, then came my application. All seemed to be in order. Then, came the FUN part--biometric fingerprinting. We had to give eight electronic fingerprints (all fingers except our pinky). The computer kept saying that there was an error when I would press my finger onto the electronic devise, then the visa dude said, "Your fingers are too dry." So, with a mischievous smile on my face, I wiped my finger on Charlie's head...and his natural oils was just what my fingerprint needed to register. After one hour, the dude explained that the police would investigate and then we would receive results in four weeks. Fingers crossed!