|
Finland |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Access to procedure |
Authorities may take and retain the travel documents of an applicant throughout the asylum procedure. |
FI LEG 01 2019 |
|
Finland |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
An amendment to the Aliens Act extended the time limit to 30 days to submit an appeal against a decision of the Finnish Immigration Service and before the Administrative Court and the Supreme Administrative Court. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Finland |
2021 |
Institutional |
|
Interpretation services |
The Finnish Immigration Service was restructured at the end of 2020, and the Legal Services Unit became responsible for assessing interpretation services. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Finland |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Content of protection |
The Integration Partnership Programme was launched in November 2020 to establish a nationwide network of integration and social inclusion actors. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Finland |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
Internal instructions guidelines for case workers were updated to report female genital mutilation or the risk thereof to the police and child protection services. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Finland |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The Finnish Ministry of the Interior launched a project to bring together the expertise of various stakeholders in the asylum system to develop uniform, long-term objectives and more comprehensive immigration and asylum policies. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Finland |
2020 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The new, general medical screening protocol in Finland, developed through the AMIF-funded TERTTU project, was launched and started to be implemented in 2020. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Finland |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The implementation of the new payment card system continued. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Finland |
2020 |
Policy |
|
Return of former applicants |
The Ministry of the Interior launched an update of the action plan for preventing illegal entry and residence for the period 2021-2024. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Finland |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure |
Law No 1294/2022 was adopted to improve the identification and referral of victims of trafficking and their right to services and assistance, irrespective of the progress of criminal proceedings. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Finland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure |
A working group has been set up to draw up a new act to assist victims of human trafficking. The working group's mandate runs until the end of 2022. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Finland |
2020 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The Finnish Immigration Service started to notify applicants, whenever possible, through phone or videoconferencing about the decision on their application. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Finland |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
Minors who have received international protection became exempted from the requirement of having sufficient financial resources for family reunification. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Finland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
A new act entered into force regulating the processing of personal data by all authorities involved in migration affairs. Corresponding amendments were made in the Reception Act, the Immigration Detention Act, the Integration Act and the Citizenship Act. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Finland |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The AMIF-funded PSYYKE project was launched to train reception staff on mental health work and draft a mental health work manual for the reception system. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Finland |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Access to information |
The website, Asylum in Finland, maintained by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, was improved. New information leaflets and videos with simple terminology were developed for applicants in the framework of the AMIF-funded ONE project. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Finland |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
Finland opened consultations on proposed amendments to the Citizenship Act (359/2003) and the Government Decree on Citizenship (293/2013). |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Finland |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure |
The Finnish Immigration Service initiated a new practice which allows applicant children younger than 12 years old to be heard more frequently, ensuring that the bests interests of the child are taken into account effectively and systematically in the asylum procedure. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Finland |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Access to procedure |
Government legislative proposal 132/2022 was submitted to parliament in order to enable applicants for international protection to be registered in the Civil Registry at an earlier stage and to ease the prerequisites for registration. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Finland |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The AMIF-funded OSAKA project was finalised, focusing on the assessment and recognition of previous education, work experiences and skills. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Finland |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Return of former applicants |
A subsequent application no longer prevents the enforcement of a removal decision if the subsequent application is deemed to be inadmissible and was submitted only for the purpose of delaying or impeding a removal. |
FI LEG 01 2019 |
|
Finland |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Legislative work continued to prepare for an eventual mass influx of migrants, and some amendments were introduced to the Reception Act. The Finnish Immigration Service must draw up a contingency plan for large-scale arrivals and has a central role in organising reception and giving instructions to other actors in this scenario. The amendments entered into force at the beginning of January 2022. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Finland |
2021 |
Institutional |
|
Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure |
The Finnish Immigration Service became entirely responsible for providing guidance on, planning and monitoring the guardianship of unaccompanied children in 2020, and this new arrangement started to be implemented in 2021. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Finland |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Return of former applicants |
Various projects were implemented on processing data and digitalising information systems relevant to return, while the relevant legal framework was adapted accordingly. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Finland |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Legal assistance and representation |
The AMIF-funded asylum procedure information provision, ONE project, was concluded, which facilitated access to legal aid from reception centres and to information throughout the whole asylum procedure. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |