Amendments to the Aliens Act from 1 June – impacts on customers receiving international protection

Amendments will be introduced to the Aliens Act as of 1 June 2025. The amendments may affect you if you are applying for asylum or have international protection status in Finland. The new law will be instantly applicable after its entry into force.

Protocols can only be partly reviewed in future asylum interviews

As of 1 June, the protocol drawn up during an asylum interview will no longer have to be reviewed in full during the interview. This means that an employee of the Finnish Immigration Service may not review the entire protocol with you during the asylum interview. This will save time and speed up the processing of asylum applications, also from the customer’s perspective. 

The interviews will continue to be recorded in the future. If the protocol is not reviewed with you in full during the interview, you will be given a deadline by which you can submit additions or corrections to the protocol.

You are not permitted to travel to your home country with a refugee travel document or alien's passport

As a result of the legislative amendment, you are not usually permitted to travel to your home country, i.e. your country of nationality or previous permanent country of residence, with a refugee travel document or alien's passport. 

The amendment will affect you if 

• you are a quota refugee 
• you have asylum
• you have a residence permit on the basis of subsidiary protection
• you have a residence permit based on family ties and have also received protection status in connection with a positive residence permit decision
• you have a residence permit based on a non-refoulement permit (section 89 of the Aliens Act).

The amendment does not affect you if you hold a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection.

You can only receive a travel document entitling you to travel to your home country from the Finnish Immigration Service for a particularly weighty reason. Such reasons may include a serious illness of a loved one or obtaining a divorce. For more information, see the pages Refugee travel document and Alien’s passport. 

If you travel to your home country, the Finnish Immigration Service may interpret this to mean that you no longer need international protection

The Aliens Act will include an entry that if you have refugee status or subsidiary protection status, travelling to your home country can be considered a reason for ending your international protection status. Travel to the home country in the past may also have resulted in the termination of protection status.

Deportation will be enforced more consistently with denial of admittance or stay

As a result of the legislative amendment as of 1 June, the enforcement of denial of admittance or stay and deportation will be harmonised in matters concerning international protection and separated from other matters concerning residence permits in the Act.

For example, you may receive a deportation decision if you have previously resided in Finland with another residence permit and you receive a negative decision on your asylum application.

A deportation decision means that you must leave Finland as stated in the decision. The speed at which the deportation decision can be enforced depends on issues such as whether your application has been deemed manifestly unfounded or inadmissible. The Police are responsible for enforcement of the deportation decision. 

For more information, see the pages Cancellation of refugee status and subsidiary protection status and Denial of admittance or stay, deportation, entry ban.

You may be granted subsidiary protection instead of refugee status if you submit a subsequent application on grounds that you have caused

You may be granted subsidiary protection instead of asylum if you submit a subsequent application on grounds that you have personally caused after you have fled your home country or country of permanent residence.

Subsidiary protection may be granted if the conditions for obtaining asylum are not met. For more information, see the pages Subsequent applications and Subsidiary protection.

Language versions

• Isbeddel lagu sameeyay sharciga ajaanibta laga bilaabo 1.6. – kaasoo saamayn ku yeelan kara macaamiisha haysata badbaadada caalamiga ah (so)
• د بهرنیانو په قانون کې له ۱ جون څخه بدلونونه – د نړیوالې ساتنې پر مراجعینو اغېزې (pashtu)
• گۆڕانکاری لە یاسای بیانی لە ١/٦ەوە - کاریگەرییەکانی لەسەر مشتەریەکانی پاراستنی نێودەوڵەتی (sorani)
• تغییرات در قانون بیگانگان از ١/٦ – تاثیرات بالای مراجعان محافظت بین المللی (dari)
• የውጭ ዜጋ ህግ ማሻሻያዎች ከ 1.6 ጀምሮ  - በአለም አቀፍ ጥበቃ ደንበኞች ላይ ተጽእኖዎች (am)
• تعديلات قانون الأجانب ابتداءً من 1/6 - التأثيرات على زبائن الحماية الدولية (ar)
• Cambios en la ley de extranjería a partir del 1.6 – efectos para los usuarios de protección internacional (es)
• تغییرات در قانون اتباع بیگانه از تاریخ 1/6/2025– تأثیر بر متقاضیان حمایت بین‌المللی (fa)
• Modifications de la loi sur les étrangers à partir du 01/06 et leur impact sur les clients de la protection internationale (fr)
• უცხოელთა შესახებ კანონში ცვლილებები 1.6-დან – გავლენა საერთაშორისო დაცვის მომხმარებლებზე (georgia)
• Изменения в законе «Об иностранцах» с 1 июня — как они повлияют на клиентов, получающих международную защиту (ru)
• Ibyahindutse mw’Itegeko rigenga abanyamahanga guhera ku 1.6 - ingaruka ku bakiriya bahawe ubuhungiro bwo kurindwa mu rwego mpuzamahanga. (rw)
• Yabancılar Yasasına 01.06. itibarıyla getirilen değişiklikler – uluslararası koruma başvurusunda bulunan kişilere etkileri (tr)
• Guherîn li qanûna biyaniyan ji 1/6 ve – tesîrê li mişteriyên parastina navneteweyî dike (kmr)

Edited on 10 June 2025: Language versions have been added.

Edited on 19 June 2025: A statement about the amendment not affecting beneficiaries of temporary protection has been added under section ‘You are not permitted to travel to your home country with a refugee travel document or an alien's passport’.