Projects

Timetable: 01/05/2023–30/04/2025

Description: The project will improve and speed up the processing of asylum applications by developing the electronic case management system (UMA) for immigration affairs to support technically and qualitatively improved decision-making.

Goals: The project will modernise the asylum decision-making functionality in the electronic case management system for immigration affairs (UMA) to better meet current needs and ensure more cost-effective maintenance and updating in a changing environment. The aim is to reduce the amount of manual work, for example, by enabling the automatic import of pre-filled data into the content fields of the decision functionality and automatic mass processing of the decisions for family members receiving a joint decision. This will improve employee time management and reduce the processing time of applications. The project will result in a faster and better quality asylum decision-making process.

Timetable: 01/11/2022–30/04/2025

Description: The project will build the mechanisms for automated subsequent control and enable the extensive deployment of an automated decision-making.

Goals: The project will promote the wider use of automation and develop related practices. The project will implement information system changes for the automation of the subsequent control of employment and student residence permits and create processes for the implementation of this automation. In addition, functionalities for maintaining the automation of the electronic case management system for immigration affairs (UMA) will be developed. The project has two goals:

1. Automation of subsequent control will be in place and the maintenance of the automated permit processes will be efficient and legally certain.

1. Written and administrative processes and structures for the introduction and monitoring of the automated decision-making and the follow-up of the permit processes will have been established and implemented.

Timetable: 01/09/2023–29/02/2024

Description: Implementation of the information system changes required by the EU Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)

Goals: The aim of the project is to implement the information system changes at the Finnish Immigration Service resulting from the EU Travel Information and Authorisation System ETIAS. The purpose of the changes to the information system is to ensure compliance with EU law and reliable, secure and smooth access to the ETIAS system. The system changes will be implemented in the case management system for immigration affairs (UMA).

Timetable: Permanent activities under the responsibility of the European Commission

Description: The European Migration Network (EMN) is a research and information exchange network of EMN member countries. The EMN provides up-to-date, objective, reliable and comparable information on migration and asylum issues in its member countries to support policy-making in the European Union. The network is guided by a work plan jointly developed and adopted by the European Commission and the network's member countries.

Goals: Strengthening evidence-based decision-making in the EU and its Member States on asylum, migration and integration by providing comparative information and disseminating this information to the general public.

Timetable: 01/01/2023–31/12/2024

Description: Customer testing, interviews and observation will be used to determine the suitability of the self-service kiosks for use by Finnish Immigration Service customers in specific target groups. At the same time, the technical functionalities of the kiosks are examined and evaluated.

Goals: The aim of the project is to speed up access to the customer services of the Finnish Immigration Service. The project will include a test phase in which self-service kiosks from two different manufacturers will be tested in customer use. After the experiences gained, an assessment of requirements will be carried out for a competitive tender to find a suitable equipment supplier if the tests confirm that the introduction of the machines would be a viable solution to reduce the waiting time for appointments. Once the requirements have been defined and a suitable equipment supplier has been identified, development and wider deployment testing begins. Upon completion of the project, the self-service kiosks will be introduced in the service points of the Finnish Immigration Service.

Timetable: 1 January 2023–31 December 2025

Description: Operative support to ensure and maintain the efficient processing of asylum seekers’ applications and high quality of asylum decisions.

Goals: A flexible asylum process allows the Asylum Unit of the Finnish Immigration Service to ensure the quality and efficiency of the processing of asylum applications. With the operative support, the Unit ensures that a sufficient number of competent employees work in asylum investigation, which will make decision making smoother, improve the asylum process for customers, and reduce reception costs. The operative support funding is used for the salaries of officials.

Timetable: 01/01/2023–31/12/2023

Description: The aim of the project is to ensure a smooth administrative process and arrival of quota refugees in Finland to ensure that Finland meets its international commitments.

Goals: The project implements changes to the in the UMA quota refugee functions and tools in the case management system for immigration affairs (UMA). The aim is to reduce the number of manual steps and ensure a smoother and better quality processing of quota refugee cases, which will speed up the arrival of quota refugees in Finland. In addition, training and information-sharing with quote refugee placement partners will strengthen the capacity of the partner authorities to receive quota refugees and refine selection and placement procedures where necessary.

Timetable: 01/01/2023–31/12/2026. Option signed for an extension until 2028.

Description: The training package will increase the knowledge about Finland among quota refugees selected for Finland through cultural orientation and prepare them for resettlement before moving to Finland.

Goals: The aim of cultural orientation is to familiarise refugees with Finnish society, culture and values, everyday life as a local citizen, student and working life in Finland as well as the public service systems, and to prepare them in a practical way for travel arrangements and permanent settlement in Finland. The orientation supports the start of the personal integration process of quota refugees and their understanding of the changes they will be facing. In addition, the aim of the orientation is to motivate the participants for continuous learning and independent study of Finland and Finnish society after the training and to introduce them to the Finnish language. Quota refugees selected for Finland through the selection process will receive three days of cultural orientation training abroad in their locations abroad before their arrival in Finland. The lessons are given either through an interpreter or in the participants' native language.

Teaching will be based on learning materials and trainer's manual tailored for the purpose, the movingtofinland.fi website as well as the Moving to Finland workbook for quota refugees and the Finland information videos produced under the project. The workbook and videos are available in five languages (English, Tigrinya, Arabic, Congolese Swahili and Kurmanji). In addition to the quota refugees, the Finland information videos and all the educational material produced by the project will also serve other immigrants and the employees of local authorities and organisations.

Timetable: 01/05/2023–30/04/2024

Description: Developing the skills of interpreters for asylum interviews and acquiring an interpretation processing system.

Goals: The aim of the project is to develop the skills of asylum interpreters for the asylum process and interviews. The aim is to ensure that all asylum seekers receive equal access to interpretation, regardless of their country of origin and language. This will enable speedier and more efficient asylum interviews, which will also save costs. In cooperation with the Finnish Immigration Service and the Diaconia University of Applied Sciences (DIAK), the project will produce a comprehensive and high-quality training package on interpreting for asylum interviews based on an online platform. The project will also provide an interpretation management system to ensure the availability of interpreters and the smooth booking of interpreters for interviews.

Timetable: 01/03/2021–29/02/2024

Description: Implementation of the EU's statutory SIS Recast (Schengen Information System) and interoperability requirements, as well as the EU's interoperability obligations for large-scale information systems.

Goals: The project will carry out the following corrections and updates:

1. Implementing the requirements of the SIS reform
2. Correcting the shortcomings identified in the European Commission's Schengen evaluation
3. The entry ban alert function is updated to the Recast format.
4. A functionality will be built into the case management system for immigration affairs (UMA) to enable the creation of alerts for returns in the EU SIS system.
5. Upgrading the UMA system to work bi-directionally with the central SIS system and introducing alert editing functions to enable bi-directional messaging.
6. Moving the SIS alerts query functionality to the Rengi integration developed by the police and interfacing Rengi with the UMA system.

Timetable: 01/04/2023–31/03/2025

Description: The project will promote returns and sustainable reintegration to Iraq and Somalia and improve the Finnish authorities' knowledge of both countries. The project will develop cooperation with both the Iraqi and Somali authorities.

Goals: The project will establish and maintain relations with the Somali and Iraqi authorities and other relevant stakeholders in these countries to promote returns and reintegration. As part of the project, information will be collected on return and reintegration support measures in the countries of destination and a general situational snapshot will be formed on issues related to returns. The information gathered will enhance the capacity of the authorities to develop the return system in a holistic way, in particular with regard to voluntary return, channelled directly through return advice and the development of reintegration support measures. The project will also organise and procure support services for reintegration in Somalia.

Timetable: 01/3/2023–28/02/2026

Description: Operational support ensures and maintains the efficient and rapid processing of applications for residence permits, in particular for permits based on employment, studies and for family members. This will contribute to a sustainable national policy on immigration.

Goals: Operational support is intended to ensure that the permit processes are staffed at all times by a sufficient number of people with up-to-date and diversified skills in explaining and promoting the grounds for applications from customers of different backgrounds. Adequate human resources will ensure smooth permit processes and allow for the achievement of processing time targets. It also builds readiness for change and unexpected global political developments, and ensures efficient, high-quality decision-making and customer experience.

Timetable: 01/04/2023–31/03/2025

Description: Development of the case management system for immigration affairs (UMA) with regard to the assistance system for victims of human trafficking, particularly to support statistics and reporting functionalities.

Goals: The project will improve the data collection and comparability of statistics in the assistance system to meet national and international data needs, to provide a complete picture of trafficking in human beings and to eliminate errors and manual work. The project has three goals:

1. To clarify the statistical requirements of the assistance system for victims of human trafficking to comply with section 55 of the Government's Action Plan against Trafficking in Human Beings 2021–2023 and the reform of the legislation on reception (746/2011) that will enter into force on 1 January 2023.

2. Digitalisation and automation of the case management for the Assistance system for victims of human trafficking in the UMA system.

3. The staff of the Assistance system for victims of human trafficking will have received UMA training and UMA user instructions will have been created as part of the UMA guidance

Timetable: 01/01/2023–31/12/2024

Description: Voluntary return client work for immigrants who reside in the country illegally after being denied asylum, and training and consultation for reception centres. Implementation of Frontex services.

Goals: Operational support will maintain client work and consultation on returns and ensure that reception centres have the necessary skills to support returns. Operational support will ensure the coverage, quality, timeliness and forms of comprehensive return consultation, with a special focus on vulnerable persons, including victims of human trafficking. The project also includes the implementation of Frontex services in the Finnish returns system.

The voluntary return package will also be widely advertised on Facebook, on the Migri.fi website and on the paluuinfo.fi website. The aim of the publicity work related to voluntary return is to help clients and those working with them to find answers to their questions and provide up-to-date information.

Timetable: 01/05/2023–30/04/2025

Description: Introduction of a new asylum interview booking system

Goals: The purpose of the Varausapu 2 project is to reform the interview booking system used for asylum interviews to achieve better adaptability in changing situations. The system will streamline the process of making interview bookings by speeding up the booking process in the asylum process and improving the interview resource management, such as interviewer and interview room bookings. In future, the aim is to scale up the use of automation of the interview booking system, which means, for example, that the system will be better able to suggest appropriate choices for each individual case when booking an interview. The project will result in a more efficient and better quality interview system, which is a key element of the asylum process.

Timetable: 01/01/2023–30/06/2025

Description: Implementing the obligations the Finnish Immigration Service arising from EU legislation relating to the Visa Information System (VIS) and the development of interoperability of EU large-scale IT systems (IO).

Goals: The project aims to implement the functionalities required by the VIS Regulation (EU) 2021/1134 and the Regulation on interoperability (EU) 2019/817 into the case management system for immigration affairs (UMA) and to connect the UMA system of the Finnish Immigration Service to the VIS Central Visa Information System via the message exchange solution (VVR) provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Through the UMA system, the Finnish Immigration Service will be able to carry out the new mandatory measures reliably, securely and efficiently.

Timetable: 01/01/2023–31/05/2024

Description: Improvement of the facilities, equipment and infrastructure of the Finnish Immigration Service's reception centres to meet today's needs while supporting preparedness to respond to rapid fluctuations in the numbers of asylum seekers.

Goals: The aim of the project is to improve the centres' preparedness for different types of incidents and emergencies, ensure the safety of their customers and staff, improve customer satisfaction and the efficient use of premises, and increase staff productivity.

• Amendments to Chapter 5 of the Aliens Act, further development
• Employer certification, further development
• Student selection register
• Assisted online application
• Usability and performance improvements
• System development to support the 80/20 light processing model
• Further development of the OLEDES information system and automated institution of applications
• Filling in personal data directly on to the Enter Finland form at the application stage based on passport data
• Clarification of online applications and attachments
• Indicator basket-based reporting according to the monitoring requirements for the 80/20 processing model