2018

Martikainen, Minna

This is a study on Ingrians in Finnish media. Ingrians are ethnic Finns who have been living in Russia for many generations. In order to immigrate to Finland on the basis of Finnish origin they had to prove Finnish language skills. The Ingrians’ language exam was designed to test if the residence permit applicant is at A2 level in Finnish. In this article I analyze how Ingrians’ migration to Finland is discussed in newspapers. The focus is in beliefs: I compare the objectives set in 2003 when the exam was launched to the outcomes described in media in 2015–2017 when immigration on the basis of Ingrian background was ending. The data shows that media repeats successful stories of Ingrians’ immigration although returnees encounter challenges, too. In 14 years the agency in immigration discussion has shifted from authorities to Ingrians themselves.