Was I deported from Finland, and how should I answer the related question on a DS160 form?
I'm an EU citizen. I entered Finland by foot during covid-related border controls. It was a city where one half is Finnish and the other half is Swedish. Border control took me to the station for a search, then sent me back to Sweden with some paper. They said it was just a warning and next time I will be fined. They didn't take my fingerprints or a picture of me.
After two months I entered Finland again with an invitation letter from my boyfriend and they let me in the country with a brief questioning. Was I deported the first time or was I just refused entry to the country? Is this info in my passport? Could I be denied an f1 because of this?
Best Answer
Your best bet is to send a Subject Access Request to the Finnish border authority, asking for a copy of your record. You are entitled to this information under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You should provide
- Your name on the passport, and date of birth
- Passport number, and your nationality
- Its start and end dates
- The dates and locations of the two incidents
The contact addresses are here https://raja.fi/en/contact-information
They should send a copy of the letter you were given during the first incident, and if there are any issues with you re-entering again. Legally, you can use any EU language in your request, but Finnish, English, or Swedish will be your best bet.
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