Quota refugees

A quota refugee is a person who: 

• has had to leave his or her home country or country of permanent residence and 
• who cannot stay in the country to which he or she has fled and 
• whom the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has determined to be a refugee and who is in need of resettlement. 

Resettlement means selecting and moving refugees from a first country of asylum to a country that has agreed to grant the refugees a residence permit. 

Persons who have been determined to be refugees by the UNHCR and whom the UNHCR has suggested for resettlement in Finland can be admitted to Finland as quota refugees. UNHCR determines which refugees need help the most and proposes these persons to be resettled in Finland as part of Finland’s refugee quota.  

Finland does not ask the UNHCR to propose predefined persons, such as the parents or siblings of a refugee who already lives in Finland, as quota refugees. Refugees who are abroad can apply for international protection with the UNHCR and mention in the UNHCR interview that they have relatives in Finland and that they wish to move to Finland. 

A quota refugee has already been granted refugee status and a three-year residence permit by Finland before his or her arrival in Finland. Refugees who have been selected for resettlement in Finland will move directly from the country where they are staying to an apartment in Finland arranged for them by the city or town where they will live.  

In contrast, an asylum seeker must apply for international protection personally in Finland. The asylum seeker’s need for international protection is then examined in an asylum procedure in Finland. If the asylum seeker is granted asylum in Finland, he or she gets refugee status in Finland.

A person can be granted a residence permit in Finland as part of Finland's refugee quota if the following conditions are met: 

• The person needs international protection.  
• The person cannot stay permanently in the country to which he or she has fled. 
• The requirements for admittance and integration into Finland have been assessed. 
• Public order, security, public health and Finland’s international relations do not prevent the granting of a residence permit. 
• The person's entry into and transit through Finland must not be prevented in accordance with an obligation under international law or under the Treaty on European Union. 

Quota refugees are selected based on documents provided by the UNHCR and on interviews conducted by Finnish authorities. A part of the refugee quota has been reserved for refugees who the UNHCR has estimated to be in need of urgent resettlement. Refugees who need urgent resettlement are selected for resettlement on the basis of UNHCR documents without interviews. 

The Finnish Immigration Service grants residence permits to persons who are admitted to Finland as quota refugees.

When the Finnish Parliament approves the Budget for each year, it decides how many quota refugees Finland agrees to resettle. The Parliament may decide on an additional quota. Statistics on quota refugee selection and arrival in Finland. 

The Ministry of the Interior, together with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, prepares a proposal for the Government on the nationalities of quota refugees and the regions from which they are selected for resettlement in Finland. The ministerial working group on internal security and administration of justice decides on the regional allocation of the refugee quota. The proposal is based on negotiations with the UNHCR and the UNHCR's proposal to Finland.  

Once the Budget has been approved, the Minister of the Interior confirms the allocation decision of the Government. Read more about the selection of quota refugees.

The first residence permit is valid for three years. It is possible to apply for an extension after the first permit.

Statistics on quota refugee selection and arrival in Finland are available on the page Quota refugee selections.

A quota refugee may only arrive in Finland after a municipality has agreed to take him or her and offer him or her an apartment.  

Refugees who have been selected for resettlement in Finland under the refugee quota will move directly to a municipality that has agreed to receive quota refugees.  

The Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres) are responsible for the regional coordination and supervision of the allocation of quota refugees to municipalities. Each ELY Centre negotiates with local municipalities that have agreed to receive quota refugees and agrees on the number of refugees to be resettled into each municipality. Read more about quota refugees’ arrival in Finland.