Þetta er athyglisverð grein eftir Jonas Moody, sem til skamms tíma var blaðamaður á Iceland Review. Hann hefur borgað sín gjöld á Íslandi í sex ár, segir hann, en nú þegar hann missir vinnuna getur hann ekki fengið dvalarleyfi né atvinnuleysisbætur.

Hann sótti um ríkisborgararétt til Alþingis,það eru nú fordæmi fyrir því, en því var hafnað.

— — —

Speaking from firsthand knowledge: I went down to the immigration office last week to finally get my permanent residency permit. But I was horrified when the woman behind the glass partition told me the laws had been changed and I would not be eligible for a permanent residency permit—in fact, I would not be eligible for any permit.

Despite the fact that I am in a registered relationship with an Icelandic citizen, own a house and car here and have been an active taxpayer for the last six years, I am no longer needed. Because it is best for the economy if all the superfluous people left the country, my life here is being revoked. Canceled. Return to sender. Go back to wherever you came from.

Here’s the back story: For the last six years I’ve been granted a work permit, which allows me to work (and pay taxes, of course) for one year at a time. However, the current permit is only good for the company that hires me, so when Iceland Review had to let go of their writing staff, I essentially lost my right to work.

But thankfully, for the last six years a chunk of my salary has been going to the state unemployment fund so I will be able to survive for a while in this rough job market long enough to find work. This is that fine safety net of socialism that everyone keeps raving about.

When I called the Directorate of Labor to register for unemployment I got a blank stare. After two days of trying to find out why no one would deal with me, I finally got an answer from Thóra Ágústsdóttir, who has the job of telling foreigners that no matter how much they have paid into the system, they are not deemed worthy of receiving anything when they are in need.

As I pour my heart out to her on the phone on how the system ought not to treat people like this, she reverts to the international mantra of bureaucrats: “There’s nothing I can do. This is our policy.”