The Office of Immigration, which last week deported Seyðisfjörður
resident Japsý Jacob for living in Iceland without a valid residence
permit, has reversed its decision.
The drama began last week, when Jacob – who came to Iceland in 2007 but had been living here without a valid residence permit since last October – was given word from the Office of Immigration that she was to leave the country. This prompted the village of about 800 people to start a petition, urging authorities to let her stay. “She is our neighbour and our friend. She is one of us. Japsý wants to live here,” their statement read in part.
Initially, authorities pointed out that there was no law regarding the effect petitions have on immigration decisions, and so deported her. This ignited the outrage of the village, as hundreds protested the Office of Immigration’s decision – a decision the authorities have now reversed.
The reversal was due in part to her lawyer formally requesting that she be allowed to remain in the country while the process of renewing her work and residence permit went underway. The Office of Immigration complied, and she can remain her until such time as a decision is reached. If the application is rejected, she will, however, have to leave the country definitively.