It took 20 years and more than $200,000 but Vendela and Christer Pento’s persistence in becoming Australian citizens has paid off.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In their third attempt, the Anna Bay couple and their son, Simeon, had their Australian citizenship applications approved, ending 20 years of back and forth between Port Stephens and their native homeland of Finland.
“They can’t kick us out now,” Mrs Pento joked.
“It’s been expensive and tiring, but we love Australia. It is our home.”
Mr and Mrs Pento were dating when they first visited Australia.
Mrs Pento’s mother, from Finland, and husband, a dual citizen of Switzerland and Australia, had retired in Clarence Town.
It was during a visit to her mother and stepfather that Mrs and Mr Pento fell in love with Australia.
They made their first application for residency, with Mrs Pento’s mother and stepfather saying they would sponsor the young couple.
However, the application was denied.
“Clarence Town wasn’t considered rural,” Mrs Pento said about why the first application was denied.
“It was considered a city, and all the allocations for cities were full.”
They sought advice from the Newcastle immigration office.
The advice staff gave the young couple was that if they studied IT at university, that would guarantee they could stay in the country.
They returned to Finland and applied for student visas to study in Australia.
They finished their studies, in IT, paying the full international student course fees.
Then 9/11 happened.
“All the visas changed,” Mrs Pento said. “Everyone was getting kicked out of the country.
“It was a terrible time. We went and saw Bob Baldwin, the federal member at the time. We were able to apply for a six month extension, which cost $8000, but that didn’t guarantee anything.
“We were only allowed to work 20 hours a week. We couldn’t afford it.”
They returned to Finland where they lived and worked for five years.
They then tried to apply for permanent residency in Australia for a second time, but were turned down due to the Pento’s experience in IT – including work at Microsoft – not being recognised in Australia.
After 10 years of living in limbo between Finland and Australia, and a second residency rejection, the pair “gave up”.
They settled down in Finland and had Simeon.
The passion to live in Australia was reignited again when Mrs Pento made an emergency dash back to the country when her mother was diagnosed with cancer.
After a few months in Australia, Mrs Pento flew back to Finland but knew she wanted to return.
She was accepted for an IT job in Australia in November 2013.
The trio landed on Australian soil on January 2013, and Mrs Pento began her job on January 7.
After four years passed they were able to apply for citizenship.
This time, it was accepted.
The couple and their son, now 19 years old, took part in a citizenship ceremony in Raymond Terrace on Wednesday, July 19.
Ellie-Marie Watts
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
