The accommodation capacity of the reception centres in Vaasa, Kemi and Mänttä-Vilppula was increased by a total of 130 places at the beginning of October. After the increase, the reception centres in Vaasa and Kemi both have 150 accommodation places and the reception centre in Mänttä-Vilppula has 175 places. The accommodation capacity has been increased by renting the necessary number of apartments.
– The number of people seeking asylum in Finland has been slightly higher than usual in August and September, says Veikko Pyykkönen, Senior Adviser at the Finnish Immigration Service.
The number of asylum seekers arriving in Finland was 355 in August and 404 in September. The usual number of asylum seekers per month is approximately 260, i.e. approximately 3,200 per year.
Moderate increase in the number of asylum seekers
– The number of asylum seekers is increasing, but very moderately. It always gets busier in autumn, though we don’t know why, Pyykkönen says.
According to Pyykkönen, the global crises have not led to a similar spike in the number of asylum seekers in Finland than for example in Sweden. Up until the beginning of October, 2,504 persons have sought asylum in Finland this year.
The accommodation capacity of the reception centres has been adjusted to the number of asylum seekers during the past few years, so that the capacity could be used as efficiently as possible. Since 2010, the number of accommodation places has been reduced by almost 2,000 places. The occupancy rate is currently 92 per cent in the reception centres and 100 per cent in the units for minors.
Further information for the media
Veikko Pyykkönen, Senior Adviser, Reception Unit, tel. 0295 430 431, e-mail: forename.surname@migri.fi
