Authorities to practise setting up a registration centre in Joutseno

The exercise, which will be coordinated by the Finnish Immigration Service, is due to take place on Wednesday, 19 September. In addition to the Finnish Immigration Service, several other authorities, such as the Southeast Finland Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, the Finnish Border Guard and the Police, will also take part in the exercise.

The aim is to test the authorities’ preparedness for setting up a registration centre and to practise cooperation. The exercise will mainly take place in the premises of the Joutseno reception centre, but there may also be some activity at border crossing points.

A registration centre is a unit for the reception and registration of newly arrived asylum seekers. After being registered, the asylum seekers move to reception centres.

A registration centre was set up in Tornio in the autumn of 2015, when the number of individuals seeking asylum in Finland multiplied compared to what it had been before. There is no need for a registration centre at the moment, as asylum seekers can be registered at border stations or by police units.

Further information for the media:

Tomi Kuosmanen, Senior Adviser, Reception Unit, tel. +358 (0)295 430 431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi