EU supports the operations and development of the Finnish Immigration Service with over 5 million euro

The Finnish Immigration Service has been granted a total of more than five million euro by the European Union (EU) to support its operations as well as a number of development projects. The funding is granted by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). The main part of the funding, almost two million euro, is received for the reception of asylum seekers that are being resettled within the EU.

Resettlement: 1,9 million euro

Finland has agreed to resettle a total of 2,078 asylum seekers during a period of two years, until autumn 2017. The EU funding will be used to cover the costs of the reception of resettled asylum seekers as well as improving the system for resettlement.

To this date, 752 asylum seekers have been resettled in Finland from Italy and Greece. The EU uses resettlement as a way to more equally distribute the responsibility for the processing of asylum applications between its member states by helping the states that receive the highest numbers of asylum seekers. The Finnish government has decided that Finland will take part in the resettlement scheme. The practical arrangements will take the form of government cooperation.

Roving immigration expert project: 300,000 euro

The Finnish Immigration Service is working together with the Finnish missions abroad to improve the reception of residence permit applications. As a rule, the application for a first residence permit needs to be submitted abroad before coming to Finland. Today, when the number of applications based on family ties in particular is growing, the Finnish Immigration Service works to speed up the processing of applications by making the process more straightforward. For this reason, the Finnish Immigration Service will employ a roving immigration expert for a period of three years.

The expert will create processing standards and practices for applications that can be processed quickly and applications that need further investigation. In addition, the staff at the missions will be trained in residence permit matters and we will look into the possibility of carrying out interviews with applicants remotely via a video link.

Voluntary return: 270,000 euro

The Finnish Immigration Service has been in charge of the system for voluntary return since July 2015, when assisted voluntary return became a part of the services offered by the reception centres. The EU funding will be used to support the reception centres in doing this, for example by arranging training for the staff. In addition to this, information materials will be produced in a number of languages, for example for people who have received a negative asylum decision, and necessary changes in information system carried out.

Assisted voluntary return is most common in cases where an asylum seeker has received a negative decision and chosen to withdraw his or her asylum application. Assisted voluntary return includes the return trip to the home country as well as an allowance that is subject to consideration. The allowance is granted to support the returnee in staring his or her life over after returning to the home country. The number of people choosing assisted voluntary return has increased noticeably this year.

A total of eleven development projects receive funding

EU funding is now granted to eleven projects at the Finnish Immigration Service. The aim of three of the projects is to better prepare quota refugees selected for resettlement in Finland for integration in Finnish society and improving the placement of quota refugees in the municipalities.

Many of the projects focus on information systems. The Finnish Immigration Service receives EU funding for, among other things, improving the asylum process and asylum statistics. The e-service Enter Finland is also being improved by adding a separate section for employers. When an employee who is a foreign national applies for a residence permit, his or her employer can submit the necessary statement for the permit online starting from next spring.

This winter, Finland received 8 million euro in emergency funding by the EU for costs generated by reception.

Further information for the media

• Resettlement:
  Pekko Vuorio, Project Manager, Senior Adviser, tel. +358 295 430 431, e-mail: forename.surname@migri.fi
• Roving immigration expert:
  Pauliina Helminen, Head of Section, tel. +358 295 430 431, e-mail: forename.surname@migri.fi
• Voluntary return:
  Mari Helenius, Project Manager, Senior Adviser, tel. +358 295 430 431, e-mail: forename.surname@migri.fi
• Others:
  Press and Communications Services, tel. +358 295 433 037, media@migri.fi