Assessments of the security situation in Iraq and Somalia are updated

The Finnish Immigration Service will update its assessments of the security situation in Iraq and Somalia in the next few weeks. At the same time, we will review the EU practices and possibilities to return people to Iraq and Somalia. The guidelines for making decisions on asylum applications are changed if the information obtained shows it to be necessary.

According to the present guidelines set out by the Finnish Immigration Service, asylum seekers from the central parts of Iraq as well as from southern and central Somalia are granted residence permits on the basis of subsidiary protection or humanitarian protection solely due to the security situation in their home region. Every asylum decision is made according to the guidelines that are valid when the application is decided. The date when the application was submitted makes no difference.

Up until 20 September this year, 12,471 asylum seekers have arrived in Finland. Sixty-two per cent of them have come from Iraq and thirteen per cent from Somalia.

Temporary residence permits are virtually no longer issued

Since the beginning of July, Finland has no longer granted temporary residence permits (B permits) in cases where foreign nationals cannot be removed from the country, that is when refusal of entry or deportation is not possible under police escort. At the beginning of July, section 51 of the Aliens Act was amended so that a temporary residence permit is now granted only if voluntary return is not possible temporarily due to a personal situation or the situation in the country of return.

In many cases, a return to the home country would be possible on the person’s own initiative, even if the authorities cannot return him or her. Forced return fails often because the authorities in the home country do not cooperate with the Finnish authorities. For example, a person may not be issued with documents required for the return.

When people return to their home countries voluntarily, they arrive in the country like any other travellers returning home from abroad. If they so wish, a representative from the local branch of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) can meet them at the airport and assist them with the remaining way home, possibly to another city.

A reception situation centre will start its operations

A reception situation centre has been established at the Finnish Immigration Service. The centre maintains a real-time situation picture concerning the reception capacity and the need to open new reception centres. It is also responsible for directing registered asylum seekers to reception centres in different parts of Finland.

The opening of a registration centre will not eliminate the need for new reception centres, since asylum seekers are only registered at the registration centre. After the registration, an asylum seeker needs an accommodation place in a reception centre.

The number of new accommodation places needed in the next few weeks is approximately 5,000. Large facilities that can accommodate at least 200 people are needed the most.

Further information for the media

• Asylum decisions:
  Esko Repo, Director of Asylum Unit,
  tel. 0295 430 431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi
• The Situation Centre at the Reception Unit:
  Jorma Kuuluvainen, Director of Reception Unit,
  tel. 0295 430 431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi