Registration centre in Tornio up and running
The reception of asylum seekers was discussed at the Ministry of the Interior’s meeting on the asylum situation held on Tuesday 22 September. A registration centre for asylum seekers was opened in Tornio on Tuesday. By early evening, close to 60 people had been registered.
In order to use their resources effectively for the registration of asylum seekers, the police have requested the Defence Forces to provide assistance at the registration centre. The assistance team of the Defence Forces consists of approximately 30 members, most of them conscripts. In Tornio, the team advises people on how to move in the area, checks those entering and leaving the area, and assists in transporting asylum seekers from the registration centre to reception centres. The members of the Defence Forces operate in Tornio under the leadership of the police.
The Finnish Immigration Service has established a situation centre to gather real-time information on the reception capacity in the country. On the basis of this information, asylum seekers are transferred from emergency accommodation and the Tornio registration centre to reception centres. However, a considerable number of new places are still needed to receive asylum seekers.
Unaccompanied minors seeking asylum to be sent to separate reception units
Unaccompanied minors seeking asylum also arrive in Finland. Most of them are 16–17 years old. Unaccompanied minors are always sent to separate reception units reserved for them, where their safety can be ensured and their immediate needs met. A representative is appointed for minors to deal with their affairs.
Finnish Immigration Service to update security situation assessments of Iraq and Somalia
The Finnish Immigration Service will update its assessments of the security situation in Iraq and Somalia. It will also review the possibilities to return people to these countries. According to the present guidelines set out by the Finnish Immigration Service, asylum seekers from the central parts of Iraq and 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. The guidelines will be revised in the light of new information, if necessary. Each asylum application is decided according to the guidelines in force at the moment of making the decision; the date of submitting the application is irrelevant.
On Monday this week, Finnish authorities registered 544 new asylum seekers. Close to 13,000 asylum seekers in total have arrived in Finland this year.
Expert group to maintain overall situational awareness of migration
The current situation created by the rapidly increased number of asylum seekers is managed by an expert group appointed by Minister of the Interior Petteri Orpo. The expert group maintains overall situational awareness of migration and decides action to be taken and leadership assumed in this exceptional situation. Besides representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, the expert group has a representative from the Finnish Immigration Service, National Police Board, Border Guard, Finnish Security Intelligence Service and Ministry for Foreign Affairs. It is chaired by Päivi Nerg, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior.
Inquiries
Päivi Nerg, Permanent Secretary, tel. +358 50 456 1012, [email protected]
This is an English translation of a press release originally published in Finnish on September 22, 2015.