New estimate: 50,000 asylum seekers in 2015
In September, close to 11,000 asylum seekers arrived in Finland. In relation to the population, this is almost as many as those who have applied for asylum in Germany or Sweden. The Finnish Immigration Service has revised its estimate of the total number of asylum seekers this year – the new estimate is approximately 50,000.
It is difficult to make reliable assessments of future migration trends. Finnish authorities and the EU are currently taking a range of measures to reduce the number of those applying for asylum. The decision to freeze decision making on asylum applications from Iraqi and Somali nationals, made by the Immigration Service on Wednesday, may still affect the figures. However, the new rail connection from southern Sweden to Luleå, which will be operational on Saturday 3 October, may increase the number of applicants in Finland in the short term.
The reception of asylum seekers is running smoothly. The registration centre in Tornio has helped the authorities to clear the backlog at police departments across the country. In addition, the immigration monitoring operation has been effective.
New reception centres are being opened. The number of asylum seekers registered every day remains at around 500, the total number this year being 18,413.
Unaccompanied minors total over 1,000. For the time being, the reception capacity for them is sufficient. Many child welfare organisations have also been able to meet the new need for services.
Ministerial working group on migration had its first meeting
The ministerial working group on migration appointed by the Government met today for the first time. The working group is chaired by Minister of the Interior Petteri Orpo, and other members include Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini and Minister of Finance Alexander Stubb. They are deputised for by State Secretaries, where necessary. Ministers Anu Vehviläinen, Juha Rehula, Olli Rehn, Hanna Mäntylä, Jari Lindström and Sanni Grahn-Laasonen are also members of the working group. The ministerial working group on migration maintains situational awareness of the asylum situation and monitors integration policies. At its meeting today, the working group shared information to have a common picture of the situation.
Inquiries:
Päivi Nerg, Permanent Secretary, tel. +358 50 456 1012, [email protected]
The Ministry of the Interior @sisaministerio provides regular updates on the situation on Twitter: #tphakijat