The Finnish Immigration Service will reduce the number of accommodation places in reception centres by 250 starting from 1 April 2014.
The accommodation capacity will be reduced because there are plenty of vacant accommodation places in the reception centres. Approximately 560 of the total of 2 716 places are currently vacant. The number of asylum seekers arriving in Finland has not decreased, but the time they spend at the reception centres has reduced, since decisions are made faster.
Accommodation places will be reduced in the following reception centres:
- Kotka
- Kristiinankaupunki
- Mänttä-Vilppula/Lammi
- Oravainen
- Vaasa
Starting from 1 May 2014, the activities of the group home and the support housing unit located in connection with the reception centre in Turku will be merged. The group home and the support housing unit accommodate unaccompanied minor asylum seekers. After the merge, the total number of accommodation places in units for minors will be reduced by 14 places.
Accommodation capacity can be increased quickly
The Finnish Immigration Service closely follows any changes in the number of asylum seekers and their profiles, both in Finland and in the other Nordic countries. The number of accommodation places is reduced gradually and in different parts of the country, so that the accommodation capacity can be increased quickly when necessary.
Further information for the media
Senior Adviser Veikko Pyykkönen, Reception Unit,
tel. 0295 430 431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi
