Migrant Tales published Monday a story about how mobile phone operators in Finland require immigrants to make at least a 300-euro deposit and be a resident of this country for two years to get a mobile phone line.
The Ombudsman for Minorities is a good place to inquire about your rights. They have a customer service line that one can call on weekdays 10-12 at +358 (0)71 878 8666
Thanks to Stephen Penny, whose blog entries have been published previously on Migrant Tales, wrote to us about the problems he’s been having in getting a mobile phone line in Helsinki. “Nightmare!” he tweeted. “I went to get a pre-paid SIM at the weekend, & was told 5 years for a mobile contract or EUR300-500 up front deposit!”
Penny said that one operator, Elisa, told him that it would take as long as five years before he could get a contract. He said that the 300-500-euro deposit would only be refunded when the contract ended, normally after 24 months.
Asking a potential customer to pay a 300-500-euro deposit can be a tall order if you are a refugee and living off social assistance, which amounts to a few hundred euros a month.
An official at the Ombudsman for Minorities told Migrant Tales that the only reason why a phone operator can ask a potential client to meet the two-year residence requirement is if the person doesn’t have a credit history.
Another official at the National Discrimination Tribunal of Finland (Syrjintälautakunta) said that there was no cases brought to the tribunal’s attention concerning the two-year-or-more residence requirement by Finnish mobile phone operators.
Another interesting story that was brought to our attention Tuesday was how some Finnish insurance companies like IF require immigrants to have a social security institution Kela card for two years to get life insurance.
Writes Joe: ”I had a similar experience when I tried to get a life insurance policy here and was told that, even though I’m an EU citizen, I would have to live in Finland for between 2 and 5 years before any insurance company would consider me.”
Carlos Loarca confirmed in an email what Joe said: ”My experience about the insurance company IF [one of the biggest or the biggest in Scandinavia] told me that I can not apply for a personal insurance after I have my Kela card for longer than 2 years.”
The official from the Ombudsman for Minorities office was unaware that insurance companies like IF require immigrants to have a Kela card for two years to get life insurance.
One way of moving ahead would be to complain to the Ombudsman for Minorities with some concrete cases and/or bring it to the attention of the National Discrimination Tribunal of Finland as well.
If you want your case to be heard by the Ombudsman for Minorities, write to [email protected] .
You should be more accurate with these. The above statement is misleading.
There is no requirements for residence or deposit if you take pre-paid SIM card. Pre-paid SIM cards can be bought by anyone, you don’t even have to prove your identity.
–You should be more accurate with these. The above statement is misleading.
He meant getting a contract with the telephone operator without having to dish out a 300-500-euro deposit.
No, there is clearly mentioned: “I went to get a pre-paid SIM at the weekend”