Refugees flee persecution in their home countries

An asylum seeker is a person who seeks asylum and the right to reside in a foreign state. A refugee is someone who has been granted asylum in one state or another. A person may also receive refugee status if they are admitted to Finland under the refugee quota based on a UNHCR proposal. Asylum seekers become refugees if they are granted asylum.

In Finland, the number of asylum seekers has remained relatively low in the 2020s compared to the refugee crisis of 2015, which resulted in more than 32,000 asylum seekers arriving in the country. The Finnish Immigration Service estimates that approximately 1,500–2,500 first asylum applications will be lodged in 2026.

Asylum seekers leave their home countries for various reasons; for example, to escape war, persecution or insecurity. Most of them end up in regions neighbouring their own countries. Some seek asylum in Europe. Where an asylum seeker eventually ends up depends on a number of factors, such as the travel route or their knowledge of the country in question.

International protection granted to those in need

Finland is committed by international treaties to providing international protection to those in need. The basis of this is the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention and other international human rights treaties and EU legislation.

In Finland, international protection refers to refugee status or subsidiary protection. EU legislation lays down provisions on the grounds and procedures according to which international protection is granted.

A person may seek international protection by lodging an application for international protection. The authorities investigate whether that person has the right to be granted international protection. If the conditions for being granted asylum are not met, the authorities examine whether the person is entitled to subsidiary protection in Finland.

Subsidiary protection may be granted if the person faces a real and serious danger other than persecution that would qualify them for asylum. Grounds for receiving subsidiary protection may include the threat of the death penalty or torture. Serious personal danger arising from an armed conflict would be another such reason.

Temporary protection is intended for people fleeing the war in Ukraine. Granting temporary protection makes it possible to provide protection to a limited group of people through a swift process that is lighter than the asylum procedure.

Beneficiaries of international protection

According to the EU Qualification Regulation (2024/1347), a person who has been granted either refugee status (the status has been granted in the asylum procedure in Finland or the person has been admitted to Finland under the refugee quota) or subsidiary protection is considered to be a beneficiary of international protection.

In addition, temporary protection can be granted to persons who have had to flee their country of residence due to acts of war, another violent situation or an environmental disaster.