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Frequently asked questions: Asylum seekers

Applying for asylum

How do I enter Finland as a refugee?

Each year Finland receives a quota of refugees and asylum may also be applied for in Finland. For further information, read quota refugees and applying for asylum.

How can I apply for asylum in Finland?

You need to be within the Finnish territory to apply for asylum in Finland. When you arrive in Finland, inform the border authorities or the police that you want to apply for asylum. You cannot apply for asylum by sending a letter or an email message to the Finnish Immigration Service. It is not possible to apply for asylum at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) located outside Finland either. Read more about applying for asylum.

According to Finland, which are the "safe countries" from which refugees are not taken in?

Finland does not have a separate list of safe countries. Each asylum seeker’s application is dealt with on its own merits.

Could you send the papers to me in the Ivory Coast, so I can apply for asylum in Finland?

We cannot send application papers as it is not possible to apply from abroad by post or e-mail. Read more about applying for asylum.

What does tracing mean?

Tracing is carried out to re-establish the connection between a minor who is seeking asylum and his or her parent or guardian who is residing outside Finland. The information gathered through tracing is important for decision-making and can later help reunite the family.

Tracing is always carried out taking into account the best interest of the child. It is usually in the best interest of the child to know where his or her parents or guardians are. According to the Aliens Act, measures must be taken to trace the parents or some other persons responsible for the actual custody of an unaccompanied minor whenever possible.

What is meant by age determination and why is this necessary for an asylum seeker?

Age assessment is an important part of establishing an asylum seeker’s identity. Some statutory rights and obligations of asylum seekers depend on their age. For example, a child under the age of 18 applying for international protection who does not have a guardian is safeguarded through special arrangements during the asylum process and at the reception centre for asylum seekers.

More information: Age assessment or establishment of age of a person younger than 18

Legislative amendments of 1 September 2024: Switching application procedures

I’ve applied for asylum but haven’t received a decision on my application yet. Can I apply for a residence permit on the basis of work or studies while I’m waiting for the asylum decision?

If you apply for a residence permit for studies or work, the Finnish Immigration Service will consider your application inadmissible. You cannot get a first residence permit for work, pursuing a trade or studies if you have applied for asylum in Finland and you are staying in Finland. You have to leave Finland and apply for a residence permit for work or studies in your home country or country of permanent residence.

If you already have a residence permit in Finland, you can get an extended permit on the basis of work. If you apply for an extended permit on the basis of studies while your asylum application is pending, you will receive a negative decision on your permit application.

I have applied for asylum and a residence permit on the basis of work before 1 September 2024. I have proved my identity at a service point and paid the processing fee. Can I still get a residence permit on the basis of work?

If you have not received a decision by 31 August 2024, the Finnish Immigration Service will consider your residence permit application inadmissible. 

Together with the decision on inadmissibility, you will get instructions on how to ask for a refund of the processing fee for your permit application.

If you have applied for asylum in Finland and want to apply for a residence permit on the basis of work, you must leave Finland and apply for the permit in your home country or country of permanent residence. If you leave Finland while your asylum application is being processed, your asylum application will expire, meaning that it will no longer be processed.

Can I get a refund of the processing fee if I get a decision on inadmissibility?

You can ask for a refund of the processing fee from the Finnish Immigration Service if:

  • you have applied for a first residence permit in Finland on the basis of studies, work or pursuing a trade before 1 September 2024,
  • the Finnish Immigration Service has not made a decision on your application by 31 August 2024; and
  • you are in Finland and have a pending asylum application.

In such a case, you will get instructions on how to request a refund when you receive the decision of the Finnish Immigration Service. You can ask for a refund by sending email to the Finnish Immigration Service. For instructions on how to send a request for a refund, see the page Refund of a payment. 

Alternatively, you can fill in the form Request for refund of payment (pdf) and email it to esupport@migri.fi as encrypted email. Use our securemail.migri.fi service to encrypt your message. For instructions on how to use the service, see the page Contact information.

If you need help, you can call the Finnish Immigration Service. Our telephone numbers can be found on the page Customer guidance services of the Finnish Immigration Service.

I have a residence permit on the basis of work. Can I get an extended permit on the basis of work even though I have previously applied for asylum?

If you already have a residence permit in Finland, you can apply for an extended permit on the basis of work as usual. The fact that you have applied for asylum at some point is irrelevant in this case.

I have a residence permit on the basis of work and a pending asylum application in Finland. I have also received a study place. Can I apply for an extended permit on the basis of studies?

If you apply for an extended permit on the basis of studies while your asylum application is pending, you will receive a negative decision on your permit application. You can apply for an extended permit on the basis of work if you meet the requirements for the permit.

I got a negative decision on my asylum application. I have a family member in Finland. Can I apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties?

You can apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties at any time while your asylum application is being processed if your family member lives in Finland. For information on who are considered to be family members under Finnish law and on the requirements for the residence permit, see the page Moving to Finland to be with a family member.

Interviewing co-applicant children

Why are children interviewed during the asylum process?

Children have the right to be heard in decisions that affect them. It is in the best interests of a child that his or her opinion is taken into account when such decisions are made.

Another reason for interviewing children who apply for asylum together with their family is that the children may also have their own grounds for asylum.

Read more about asylum interviews with children.

What is the interview like?

Interviews with children consist of free narrative, meaning that the child can give their own account. Turvapaikanhaussa kuuleminen on tärkein tapa kuulla ihmiseltä hänen tilanteestaan.

Children are interviewed in the presence of their parents, and the parents can participate in the discussion. In addition to the child and his or her parents, there is also an interpreter and a Finnish Immigration Service employee present at the interview. The Finnish Immigration Service uses trained employees who are specialised in interviewing children.

Usually, the interview takes between one and two hours. To make the child feel safe, part of the interview time is used to get to know each other.

What is meant by a child’s ‘best interests’ in the asylum process?

The ‘best interests’ of a child is a principle of law that must always be followed when the Finnish Immigration Service makes decisions affecting children.

The best interests of a child are assessed individually on a case-by-case basis. When a decision is made, the overall situation of the child is taken into account. This includes the child’s personal background, situation and needs.

When a best interests assessment is made, several viewpoints are taken into account. The primary criterion is security. A child’s grounds for international protection may be stronger than an adult’s. Children may also have their own grounds for asylum independently of their parents. There are also forms of persecution that only affect children. All this, together with the security situation in the child’s home region, is taken into account in asylum decisions.

When a child’s best interests are assessed, we take into account the child’s family ties and other close relationships as well as the child’s religious, linguistic and cultural background. Also any individual needs concerning, for instance, the child’s development or health are taken into account.

Why do you interview children whose parents have converted to Christianity?

If a child is a member of a religious community, it can affect the child's risk of facing persecution in his or her home country. A person’s religion may constitute grounds for asylum.

Conversion to Christianity may affect a child's daily life in Finland even when he or she is young. The child may, for instance, have participated in church activities.

Naturally, children may be in risk of facing persecution because of other reasons as well. Sometimes, however, these events may have affected the parents in their home country or a long time ago. In such cases, it may not be necessary to interview the children.

What is a child able to tell about his or her situation?

Interviewing a child is necessary if the matter in question affects the child and if the child can be assumed to have information about the matter.

In the interview, the child can be asked for instance about what it means to him or her to be a member of a Christian congregation and what the child’s own opinion about this is.

The purpose of asking such questions is to gather additional information about how the child is in risk of persecution. However, the aim is not to use the child's statement against the family. A child’s statement alone cannot determine whether the family is granted asylum or not.

Children are always interviewed in accordance with their age and developmental stage.

What if children say something that contradicts their parents’ statement?

A child’s statement cannot be the only factor that determines the outcome of a family’s asylum application. If something exceptional comes up, the agency may later ask the parents about it separately.

The purpose of interviewing children is not to use their statements against the family. On the contrary, the aim of the hearing is to see whether the children have anything to add to their parents’ statements.

Children can even have their own grounds for international protection that have not come up before.

Border procedure

I have applied for asylum and have not received a decision yet. Can my application become subject to the border procedure?

The border procedure can no longer be applied to your application. Only authorities at the external borders of Finland can refer an application to the border procedure.

Asylum seeker's right to work

Can an asylum seeker work gainfully?

Asylum seekers are allowed to have a paid job when 3 or 6 months have passed since they applied for asylum. You can have a paid job after 3 months have passed since you applied for asylum if you have presented a valid and authenticated passport or other travel document to the authorities. If you have not presented a travel document, you can have a paid job after 6 months have passed since you applied for asylum.

Read more about asylum seeker's right to work.

As an employer, how can I ensure that a foreign employee has the right to work?

You can ask about your employee’s right to work free of charge by sending an email message to the Finnish Immigration Service. Read the instructions on how to ask about an employee’s right to work.

How do I know on what basis my residence permit has been granted?

Check the residence permit decision to see the grounds for your permit.  The decision will state on what grounds your permit has been granted. If you have been granted refugee status or subsidiary protection status in Finland, this will be stated in the decision.

Reception allowance

How much financial support does an asylum seeker get?

The financial support, which is granted by the reception centre is intended for fundamental basic needs. For further information, see the page Reception allowance.

Returning to home country

I want to return to my home country. What should I do?

Contact your reception centre for help. You can also apply for assisted voluntary return. Read more about cancelling an asylum application and voluntary return. 

Statistics and legislation

How many Iraqis have applied for asylum in Finland? How many Indians are there in Finland?

You can acquaint yourself with the statistics on asylum seekers and foreign citizens in Finland on the page Statistics.

I am preparing a study/an essay on Finnish refugee policy. Where can I obtain further information?

Useful pages for you could be:

Where can I find the text of the Finnish Alien’s Act?

The English translation of the Alien’s Act can be found from the Finlex legislative database (finlex.fi).