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Tilted Cat Head
Administrator
Location: Manhattan, NY
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by abaya
Just addressing this part for the moment... well, even Icelandic citizens lose rights to the health care system if they have changed their residence to another country, and then moved back home. They have to reside back in Iceland for 6 months before those benes kick in, just like foreign residents and workers. When ktspktsp and I moved here, we both had to purchase short-term insurance to cover our asses in case one of us got hit by a truck or something (the deductible is pretty high) in our first 6 months here... I'm a citizen, he isn't. As of Sept 1, we'll finally be able to go to the doctor, yay!
Now, if you moved here legally (obviously without being married to an Icelander), that would mean you would have a work permit issued from an employer (like an H1-B in the US). This also goes along with a residence permit to allow you to live in the country legally, which means you would have access to the health care system after 6 months here, as well. And, if you so desired, after 7 years living in Iceland you could become a citizen. And then there would be absolutely no difference between you and "natural born Icelanders." Citizenship confers rights of nativity. That's the whole idea. Hell, I was not born here, only got my citizenship in my 20s... but I have all the same rights as those who were born here. Ktspktsp is allowed to get his citizenship here after 3 years, due to being married to me... and he would also obtain all the same rights as a native. There would be nothing to be jealous of.  |
Agreed that is the purpose of naturalization. You are born of Icelandic heritage directly, unlike West Icelanders those that emigrated out to Canada and have been there for many generations. While their roots are Icelandic, they don't contribute to the Icelandic taxation and social systems. It makes sense of course to not care for those that don't contribute for a period of time.
Again, though these "costs" are off set in some manner by the fish stocks that each "original" Icelander "owns".
The Icelandic news I get here of course is extremely filtered and the only direct conversations I have are of course limited to my small pool of friends. I do know that even the Unions don't have enough resources to benefit all their workers. It has been suggested to me several times to purchase a summer house and rent it out to the Union who in turn gives it out to their members.
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