On 1 January 2017, the Finnish Immigration Service will take over the state-owned reception centres in Oulu and Joutseno.
The change does not affect the asylum seekers living in the reception centres or the reception services offered to them. This is an administrative change to reduce unnecessary administration and create savings.
The Finnish Immigration Service steers and monitors all reception centres in Finland. After the merger, the state-owned reception centres will be administered by the Reception Unit at the Finnish Immigration Service.
The reception centres are entirely separate from the Asylum Unit, where the asylum applications of the clients are processed.
You can find more information about reception on the page Reception activities.
