When an asylum seeker arrives in Finland, he or she is registered and will then undergo an asylum investigation where his or her identity and travel route are established. Asylum investigations are currently carried out by both the police and the Border Guard. As of 1 March 2016, asylum investigations will be transferred from the police to the Finnish Immigration Service, which will carry out the asylum investigation in connection with the asylum interview.
Police and Border Guard will still receive asylum applications
The process of applying for asylum consists of three stages:
- An asylum seeker arrives in the country and files an application with the police or the border control authorities.
- An asylum investigation is conducted.
- An asylum interview is held.
The first two stages were previously handled by either the police or the Border Guard. From now on, the Finnish Immigration Service will take care of the second stage instead of the police. The Border Guard will continue carrying out asylum investigations for the time being. The Finnish Immigration Service will take over the Border Guard’s responsibility for investigations on 1 January 2017 at the latest.
In the future, the police and the Border Guard will register asylum applications, and the Finnish Immigration Service will be responsible for both asylum investigations and asylum interviews.
Asylum seekers will not need to take any action due to the change
If you are an asylum seeker in Finland, all you need to do is wait. You do not have to take any action. A change has been made to the division of responsibilities between the authorities, but your application will be processed as normal.
The authorities will contact you when they want to see you.
The idea is that, in the future, the asylum investigation will be carried out at the same time with the asylum interview at the Finnish Immigration Service. Combining these two stages will make the asylum process smoother and faster.
