From now on, local authorities will only be consulted if a reception centre is planned to be located in a municipal facility or be maintained by the municipality
The Finnish Immigration Service will no longer consult local authorities concerning the establishment of reception centres if a reception centre or an emergency accommodation unit is to be located in facilities rented from private owners, or if it is to be maintained by the Finnish Red Cross or another third party. However, the Finnish Immigration Service will inform the local authority before the reception centre is opened.
The establishment of a permanent reception centre or emergency accommodation unit is currently being negotiated or awaiting decision by the local authority in Ruovesi, Salo, Kauhava, Lappajärvi, Äänekoski, Raasepori and Forssa. The Finnish Immigration Service will wait for the decisions of these local authorities as previously agreed, but from now on progress will have to be quicker.
Municipalities are invited to provide facilities and maintenance
There is now a highly urgent need for new reception facilities, and emergency accommodation in particular is being set up at extremely short notice. The situation is particularly alarming in the Oulu, Turku and Helsinki regions, where new emergency accommodation facilities are continuously being sought. At the same time, the Finnish Immigration Service and the Districts of the Finnish Red Cross are exploring the rest of Finland.
A gratifyingly high number of municipalities and businesses have expressed a willingness to consider hosting a reception centre or an emergency accommodation unit. We hope that this will continue to be the case.
“We invite all of Finland’s municipalities to pitch in and rent out their facilities for reception operations. Offers by local authorities to maintain a reception centre would also be welcome. If a municipality is in a position to offer facilities or maintenance services, the decision to do so must of course be made by the local decision-makers,” says Jaana Vuorio, Director General of the Finnish Immigration Service.
Independent preparation by municipalities is desirable
In order to get things moving effectively in all quarters, the Finnish Immigration Service appeals to local authorities to discuss their position on the establishment of a reception centre at their own initiative, without waiting for an official request to do so.
The resources of the Finnish Immigration Service are currently stretched to the limit, and we cannot respond to all contacts from municipalities.
Any municipality wishing to offer facilities or maintenance services should initially contact us by e-mail at vastaanottoyksikko@migri.fi. Please enter a detailed description of the facilities offered and state whether the municipality would be willing to maintain the operations or whether it is simply offering to put facilities at the disposal of the Finnish Red Cross, for instance.
Any local authority requiring further information on whether the Finnish Red Cross would be able to run a reception centre in the municipality should initially contact the Finnish Red Cross district office.
“We are principally looking for large facilities designed for accommodation and with capacity for at least 150 beds. But we are open to any offers. Even a facility with only a few dozen beds could be usable as a supported housing unit for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers,” says Vuorio.
Nearly 8,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Finland this year so far. Last week, more than 1,000 arrivals were recorded in a single week for the first time ever. At this rate, Finland will need to open four to five new reception centres every week.
Further information: links
- The website of the Finnish Immigration Service: Asylum in Finland
- Press release: What does a reception centre contribute to the local area?
- Press release: Reception centres help asylum seekers to integrate into Finnish society
- List of press releases, including several recent press releases on reception centres
Further information for the media
Jaana Vuorio, Director General, Finnish Immigration Service, tel. +358 295 430 431, firstname.lastname@migri.fi
