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Government Programme measures to reform migration policy The Government Programme’s objective is to reform Finland’s migration policy so that it offers assistance to the most vulnerable people and prevents abuse of the system. Finland’s asylum pol...

Removal and departure from the country If a person does not meet the conditions for legal stay in Finland, they are required to leave the country. This applies, for example, to persons whose asylum or residence permit application has been rejected...

4.7.2024 | New legislative amendments will prevent the evasion of provisions on entry more effectively than before. In its session on 4 July, the Government proposed that the President of the Republic approve the amendments to the Aliens Act and the Researchers and Students Act. The President of the Republic is scheduled to approve the amendments on 5 July, and they will enter into force on 1 September 2024.

18.4.2024 | The Government proposes legislative amendments to prevent the evasion of provisions on entry more effectively than at present. The amendments would prohibit asylum applicants from switching to a work-based or education-based application procedure in order to apply for a residence permit. The amendments would also tighten the identity verification procedure. The Government submitted the proposal to Parliament on 18 April. The proposed acts would enter into force on 1 July 2024.

16.4.2026 | The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum establishes a common EU system to strengthen external border control, ensure effective identification of third-country nationals and enhance procedures for asylum and return. The Pact will be implemented in Finland through a series of national legislative amendments. The Government submitted a proposal on these amendments to Parliament on 16 April.

31.10.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to develop the regulation on removal from the country.

20.12.2024 | The start of 2025 will see the entry into force of new acts and decrees. This press release provides a summary of the most important changes in the Ministry of the Interior’s administrative branch.

30.1.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a legislative proposal on amendments to the Aliens Act. The deadline for submitting comments is 20 February 2024.

22.12.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior has circulated for comment the draft government proposal on the national legislative amendments that relate to the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The deadline for comments is 2 February 2026.

4.12.2023 | The EU home affairs ministers will gather in Brussels on 5 December for a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. Items on the agenda for the meeting include issues related to the Schengen area, improving the efficiency of procedures to return migrants, and the implications of the situation in the Middle East for the EU’s internal security.

10.2.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior has completed an investigation into a statutory amendment that would allow a residence permit and alien’s passport to be issued to applicants whose lack of a travel document is the sole impediment to granting the permit. The same project also investigated other potential solutions to address the situation of individuals who have remained in Finland for an extended period with no right of residence.

15.11.2018 | The enforcement of decisions on removal from the country will be speeded up. Certain removal decisions related to public order and security can be enforced after 30 days from the service of the decision, unless the administrative court has prohibited its enforcement. The removal procedure is applied to removal from the country when the person concerned has or has had a residence permit in Finland or the residence of an EU citizen has been registered.

28.3.2018 | The Government proposes that the provisions on the enforceability of deportation decisions be amended so as to allow certain deportation decisions that concern public order and security to be enforced more quickly than at present. The bill does not apply to refusal of entry of foreign nationals.

30.11.2017 | The Ministry of the Interior has circulated for comment the Government’s draft proposal concerning the enforcement of deportation decisions. The draft law has been updated on the basis of the comments provided during the previous circulation.

11.11.2024 | Cashing Out Joint report by the Nordic countries on cross-border money laundering via cash transportation Foreword As the global economy is getting more and more digitized, criminals are still using cash to carry out their criminal activity, as ca...

20.12.2018 | The start of 2019 will see the entry into force of amendments to acts and decrees related to the police, immigration, rescue services and civilian crisis management. This press release provides a summary of the most important changes.

6.9.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent a draft proposal for an amendment to the Aliens Act out for comments. The amendment would allow a residence permit and an alien’s passport to be issued to applicants whose lack of a travel document is the sole impediment to issuing a residence permit.

16.6.2022 | When a family member of a minor who has been granted international protection applies for family reunification, a residence permit could be granted without the requirement for sufficient financial resources of sponsors who are minors. This would promote the protection of family life and the realisation of the best interests of the child. The Government submitted the relevant proposal for amending the Aliens Act to Parliament on 16 June.

13.8.2021 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a draft government proposal on amending the Aliens Act. The aim of the proposal is to ensure that people who receive international protection can exercise their right to family life as fully as possible. A further aim is to make sure that the best interests of the child are upheld in family reunification cases involving minor children who receive international protection.

24.5.2021 | On 24 May, the Ministry of the Interior set up a project to carry out a study on a legislative amendment that would enable the granting of a temporary residence permit and an alien’s passport for a limited period to asylum seekers who have received a negative decision but who have found work. The purpose of the amendment would be to allow a person to travel to obtain a travel document from the authorities of their own country.