Immigrating to Helsinki

Have you checked the Finnish immigration site at all? It's in English and looks quite thorough based on my quick glance.

http://www.migri.fi/netcomm/default.asp

Thanks, I have studied that page quite extensively   But I don't exactly fit in any category.  I'm meeting a Finnish consulate tomorrow to see about my options, but it would be nice to talk to others that maybe were in similar situations.

well, I'm an American living in another European country and from what I've explored of the rules here and in several other places, the visas are pretty much in 3 categories:

1) you're a student. This usually requires some kind of proof that you've got the funds to support living while studying.

2) you're working, either at a job that the locals don't want to do (like fish processing here in Iceland) or there aren't enough people to do (specialized things)

3) you're married to someone from the country or can prove long-term relationship with them (cohabitation, children together, etc)

Most places don't let you show up and say you'd like to live there without having one of these three reasons for doing so. Since you haven't mentioned a special skill and you don't want to get married, it sounds like the student route might be the best option for the time being. Would that be possible? I don't know what Finnish student life is like but in many European countries it's quite cheap to register as a student.

Keep in mind I haven't read Finland's rules specifically! There might be some loophole there that doesn't apply in other places.

Well, its not that I don't want to get married.  My boyfriend and I just very practical and we want to wait until we have secure jobs and are financially stable.  We are both finishing our master's this spring (YAY!!!!!!), so that may be awhile.  We are just trying to figure out another way.  I'm looking for work teaching English or doing language revision.  I study forestry, but there is quite a large surplus of foresters in Finland.  I have been really proactive about trying to find work, but I feel that potential employers aren't really taking me seriously since I'm still in the US.  But it is really hard to just go without knowing that I'll have some income.  I'm willing to do low-pay jobs until I can find something better, but I have to have a residence permit in order to get paid.  So I'm stuck in a awful catch-22. 
I've thought about being a student, but that would probably mean a Phd, and I really don't want that.  That would be a definite last resort.  I'm meeting with a consulate today to discuss my options.