Number of asylums granted increased in 2012

In 2012, the Finnish Immigration Service made more positive decisions on asylum applications than before. The positive decision, i.e. an asylum or a residence permit was given to 42 per cent of all processed applicants. In 2011, the positive decision was given to 1,601 individuals, i.e. 36 per cent of the applicants.

Compared to previous years, especially the number of asylums granted increased. Asylum, i.e. a refugee status, was granted to 553 individuals, which is 15 per cent of the processed applicants (5 per cent in 2011, 3 per cent in 2010). 11 of these were unaccompanied minors. The refugee status is the strongest international protection status an asylum seeker can be granted.

The 15 per cent share of asylums of all decisions is currently the European average. The share of asylums in all decisions has increased in several other EU states in recent years as well.

Changes in applicants and decision-making practice

Reasons for the increase in the number of positive decisions include the strong increase of applications by Syrian and Iraqi citizens in need of international protection, the decrease of so-called Dublin decisions[1] down to 15 per cent (21 per cent in 2011) as well as changes in the Finnish Immigration Services’ decision-making practice.

Last year an asylum application was submitted in Finland by 183 Syrians, which is 66 per cent more than in 2011. There were 837 Iraqi applicants, 43 per cent more than in the previous year. Syrians and Iraqis were the most granted the strongest protection, asylums and resident permits on the basis of subsidiary protection.

As such the number of positive decisions in relation to negative has increased moderately. The positive decisions have mainly divided in a new way so that last year saw more of the strongest international protection statuses than before. Applicants from certain countries now get the stronger subsidiary protection instead of humanitarian protection. On the other hand, the number of residence permits granted on the basis of subsidiary protection has decreased as more applicants are granted an asylum. The change reflects the patient work of the Finnish Immigration Service started in 2011, whereby the legal evaluation of international protection is being simplified, especially between an asylum and subsidiary protection.

Partly, the number of asylums was increased by the Finnish Immigration Services’ early 2012 revision of the decision-making practice for asylum seekers representing a religious or sexual minority.

Most of the applicants still from the same countries

A total of 3,129 individuals sought asylum in Finland in 2012, which was a bit more than in the previous year (3,088 applicants). In 2010, there were 4,018 applicants.

A total of 167 unaccompanied minors sought asylum in Finland, which is roughly as many as in 2011 (in 2011, the number was 150).

The asylum seekers mainly came from the same countries as in previous years, but the order of the countries has changed a bit. The most applications were submitted by Iraqis (837), Russians (226) and Afghans (213). The number of applications by citizens of Somalia, Afghanistan and Russia was lower than before, whereas the number of applications from citizens of Syria, Iraq, Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina was higher.

The Finnish Immigration Service decided a total of 3,780 individuals’ asylum applications last year. The number of decisions increased by 6 per cent compared to 2011, when a total of 3,567 decisions were made.

More detailed statistics available online

More detailed statistics on asylum applications processed in 2012 can be found in Finnish on the website of the Finnish Immigration Service at www.migri.fi > Tilastot > Turvapaikka- ja pakolaistilastot.

Further information for the media

Esko Repo, Director, Asylum Unit, Tel: +358 71 873 0431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi

[1] The Dublin regulation stipulates that if an asylum seeker has previously sought asylum in another country participating in the Dublin system, the country concerned is responsible for readmitting the asylum seeker in question and for processing his/her application.

* * *

Facts about residence permits on the basis of international protection

• Asylum: A residence permit granted to a foreigner in the asylum procedure on the basis of his or her refugee status.
• Residence permit on the basis of subsidiary protection: A permit is granted when the requirements for granting asylum are not met but the applicant is threatened in his or her home country or country of permanent residence by capital punishment, execution, torture or other inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. A permit may also be granted where applicant is unable to return to his or her home country or country of permanent residence without being exposed to considerable personal danger owing to armed conflict. (see also sur place situation).
• Residence permit on the basis of humanitarian protection: A permit is granted when the requirements for granting asylum or subsidiary protection are not met but the applicant is unable to return to his or her home country or country of permanent residence because of an environmental catastrophe occurring there, or because of prevailing poor security circumstances there which may be caused by armed conflict or a troubled human rights situation.