Resettlement of quota refugees
Quota refugee refers to a person who:
- has been forced to leave their home country or country of permanent residence for another country; and
- cannot stay in the country to which they have fled; and
- has been defined as a refugee by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and is in need of resettlement.
Resettlement refers to the selection of refugees and their transfer from the first country of asylum to another country that is ready and willing to grant them a residence permit.
In connection with the approval of the budget, the Parliament of Finland decides annually how many quota refugees Finland commits to resettlement. In 2025, the refugee quota will be 500 people.
The Ministry of the Interior, in cooperation with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Employment, will prepare an allocation decision on which regions and which nationalities will be selected for the refugee quota. The Finnish Immigration Service and the Finnish Security Intelligence Service also participate in the preparation of the allocation decision. The decision is based on the UNHCR’s annual assessment of the need for the resettlement of refugees globally and the UNHCR’s proposal to Finland. The Government decides on the territorial allocation of the quota.
Under the refugee quota, Finland admits persons recognised as refugees by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The UNHCR identifies those most in need of help and proposes them for resettlement in Finland under the refugee quota.
Finland does not request the UNHCR to propose specific persons, such as the parents or siblings of refugees living in Finland, for resettlement. Refugees abroad may apply to the UNHCR for international protection and mention their relatives living in Finland and an interest in entering Finland in an interview with the UNHCR.
Quota refugees in need of urgent resettlement
Part of the refugee quota is reserved for refugees estimated by the UNHCR to be in need of urgent resettlement (so-called emergency cases). Finland selects these refugees without interviews based on UNHCR documents.
In 2025, Finland will select 50 quota refugees in need of urgent resettlement.
Arrival of quota refugees in Finland
The refugees selected under the refugee quota do not live in a reception unit but move from their country of residence to live directly in a municipality. Refugees can only arrive in Finland when they have found a municipal placement and a place of residence.
ELY Centres are responsible for referring quota refugees to municipalities. The ELY Centre negotiates and agrees with the municipalities receiving quota refugees in its region on the number of refugees that each municipality commits to receiving.
Municipalities and wellbeing services counties are entitled to compensation from the central government for organising services promoting integration in accordance with the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration.
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