On 16 July 2024, the President of the Republic approved the bill for the Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration. The aim of the act is to improve border security and ensure that Finland has effective means at its disposal to combat instrumentalised migration, which is being used to put pressure on Finland. The aim is also to prepare for more serious instances of instrumentalised migration.

So far, the Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration has not been applied in any situation. The act lays down the conditions under which Finland could decide to restrict the reception of applications for international protection in a limited area on Finland’s national border and in its immediate vicinity. If a decision was taken to apply the act, a person crossing the land border would not be able to apply for asylum (with certain exceptions).

The Government may make the decision to apply the Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration only if certain very strict conditions are met. Applying the act would always require knowledge or a justified suspicion that a foreign state is attempting to influence Finland by exploiting migrants in a way that poses a serious threat to Finland’s sovereignty and national security. The restriction must be essential for safeguarding Finland's national security, and it must be ensured that there are no other means to manage the situation.

The act entered into force on 22 July 2024 and will remain in force for one year. The Act was extended with a legislative amendment confirmed on 27 June 2025 and entered into force on 1 July 2025. The Act will remain in force until 31 December 2026.