Undocumented Migrants’ Everyday Lives in Finland

Abstract

AbstractThe everyday lives of undocumented migrants are littered with challenges, such as constantly having to find new places in which to live and sleep; seeking employment and a livelihood, even in the grey market; contacting families and friends, to overcome feelings of loneliness and despair; maintaining hope for the future, despite living in a country that is rejecting them; and escaping the police. Living without legal permission in a country makes them wear a variety of identities and masks, and continually devise new survival strategies and practices in order to survive and make ends meet.The chapter illustrates how undocumented migrants in Finland manage to find more or less secure accommodation, and how some of them even find jobs despite the law forbidding them to work in Finland. The chapter also explores in detail their everyday social lives, who they turn to when they need something, and their aspirations and hopes for the future. We also pay attention to their migrations to Finland, within Finland, and their potential on-migration from Finland, including return migration.