Frequently asked questions about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war

There is no border control in traffic between Finland and other Schengen countries, and the normal principles of free movement are in place. However, we recommend that people in need of protection when arriving in Finland contact the authorities upon arrival or as soon as possible. The authorities are present at the Port of Helsinki and at Helsinki Airport.

The Border Guard is responsible for border checks at Finland’s external borders, i.e. in traffic between Finland and non-Schengen countries. The Border Guard also receives applications for international protection at Finland’s external borders.

Ukraine war and entry into Finland | Finnish Border Guard
This is what to do when you arrive in Finland from Ukraine | Finnish Immigration Service
Printable instructions for people fleeing Ukraine | Finnish Immigration Service

More than 53,000 Ukrainians have applied for temporary protection or asylum in Finland (by 8 May 2023) .

Ukrainian holders of a biometric passport are entitled to visa-free stay in the Schengen area for 3 months. Due to the exemption from the visa requirement, Ukrainian nationals are not registered upon entry. Overall, it is difficult to monitor migration within the area of free movement. The majority of Ukrainians arrive in Finland across the EU’s internal borders, mainly Poland and Estonia.

The Finnish Immigration Service keeps is Twitter account updated regularly of the number of Ukrainian nationals who have sought international protection in Finland following Russia’s invasion. In reality, the number of people in the country is estimated to be higher than that, as all people do not immediately contact the Finnish authorities.

Statistics on temporary protection | Finnish Immigration Service
Finnish Immigration Service on Twitter

More than 53,000 Ukrainian nationals (by 8 May 2023) have applied for temporary protection or asylum in Finland. It is estimated that 20,000-30,000 Ukrainian citizens can come to Finland to seek international protection in 2023.

The movement of people fleeing Ukraine to EU territory will depend on developments in Russia’s hostilities in Ukraine and on whether people are able to settle in safer areas within Ukraine. The capacity of Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to receive refugees will have an effect on how many people will move to other EU Member States. Many people who have fled Ukraine hope to be able to return home soon and therefore prefer staying in the neighbouring areas.

Temporary protection is based on the EU Temporary Protection Directive, which is now being used for the first time. The Directive was adopted during the period preceding the extensive development of the Common European Asylum System. Therefore, it is not considered a particularly suitable system for responding to the migration challenges faced by the EU in recent years. 

Temporary protection was created as an exceptional arrangement following the conflict in former Yugoslavia. Temporary protection can be granted quickly to strictly limited, large groups of people who are forced to leave a certain area or country. The need for protection must be considered temporary, as it is granted only for one year at a time and for a maximum of three years. 

The 2015 refugee situation did not involve mass influx of people from one region because of a war and violence. People came from several regions and for a variety of reasons, and they applied for protection in countries far away from their countries of origin. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, on the other hand, took place in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood. The resulting sudden and collective need for protection made temporary protection a suitable mechanism for responding to this situation. 

People applying for temporary protection or asylum can stay at the reception centre, where they are registered. Reception centres are of different sizes and they are located in different parts of Finland. Asylum seekers may choose to arrange their own accommodation and live outside the reception centre, for example with friends or relatives. However, their home address is the address of the reception centre where they are registered.

Those who do not apply for temporary protection or asylum must arrange their accommodation themselves.

Q&A Russia’s attack on Ukraine | Finnish Immigration Service

People applying for temporary protection have the right to get the same reception services as are available for asylum seekers. They will get most of the healthcare and social welfare services they need at reception centres. If they are in need of support, their essential livelihood is secured by providing a reception allowance.

Q&A Russia's attack on Ukraine | Finnish Immigration Service
Reception services | Finnish Immigration Service

If you want to offer accommodation to reception centres for Ukranians , you can contact the local Red Cross directly.The Finnish Immigration Service does not coordinate private accommodation.

Helping Ukrainians

Those within the scope of temporary protection who decide to apply for vocational education and training may also complete their studies in the form of education and training based on a training agreement or apprenticeship agreement, provided that the requirements for it are otherwise met.

Vocational education and training can be organised at the workplace in connection with practical work tasks in the form of training based on a training agreement or apprenticeship training. Students taking part in training based on a training agreement acquire competence in a workplace through practical job tasks but are not employed in the workplace. Apprenticeship training, instead, is based on a written fixed-term employment contract between a student aged 15 or over and the employer.

Foreign students are welcome in Finnish higher education institutions regardless of their nationality. It is not possible in the admissions procedure to decide against or prohibit admission of students based on citizenship. Ukrainian and Russian students studying in Finland may continue their studies normally, taking into account any personal sanctions and export controls that may affect the situation of students. Distance teaching is comparable to other teaching. 

Based on the double degree agreements made with Russian and Belarusian higher education institutions, the study rights granted to Finnish higher education institutions remain in force and students may continue their studies normally.  No new agreements will be concluded. 

International students are entitled to last-resort social assistance if they are unable to manage their daily expenses. Those who are staying in Finland temporarily are entitled to essential social assistance at the very least, i.e. food and necessary prescription medicines, both of which are granted under financial commitments. Finland’s social security system cannot offset the effects of the sanctions on a long-term basis, but no one must be left in distress.

Persons residing in Finland on the basis of an overall assessment of the nature of their situation are entitled to basic social assistance in accordance with the general conditions, similarly to those who are residing permanently in Finland.

Universities of applied sciences and universities charge tuition fees to non-EU and non-EEA students studying in a degree programme that is not provided in Finnish or Swedish. Failure to pay the tuition fee does not, under section 43 of the Universities Act and section 32 of the Universities of Applied Sciences Act, constitute grounds for the student having to forfeit the right to study. Instead, the higher education institution may decide that the payment of tuition fees is a condition for enrolment and thus, in effect, a condition for being able to study.

The practices applicable to tuition fees must be non-discriminatory and citizenship cannot be used as grounds in them. However, higher education institutions may grant, by their own decision, scholarships for humanitarian reasons, and the scholarship can be used to offset the tuition fee, meaning that the fee does not need to be paid.

The freezing of funds is associated with a provision according to which no financial resources may be made available to a person on the sanctions list (Article 2, paragraph 2: “No funds or economic resources shall be made available, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in the Annex”). Therefore, such persons may not be granted a scholarship. Before granting a scholarship, it is advisable to check whether the recipient is on the sanctions list, and scholarships are granted on condition that the recipient is not subject to any sanctions.

Large-scale migration almost always involves an elevated risk of abuse and exploitation of vulnerable persons and human trafficking. It is totally indefensible that criminal groups are trying to benefit from the situation of people who are in distress.

Finland is well aware of that risk and aims to prevent exploitation by providing persons arriving in Finland with information about their status and rights in Finland, the risks of exploitation and the parties that they can contact, if necessary.

Migration authorities, the police and border authorities work in their respective areas of responsibility to prevent abuse, exploitation and trafficking of people for example in connection with border checks, when registering asylum seekers, when processing applications, and based on observations made during the reception process.

From the point of view of prevention, it is also essential that the public authorities maintain a shared situational picture and ensure smooth exchange of information. It is also important to raise employers’ and civil society’s awareness of the phenomenon and its prevention.

The majority of passengers are always law-abiding, and this remains the case now. Border checks provide the Finnish authorities a good general picture of the passengers arriving in Finland and the purpose of their stay. 

In general, border checks are supported by national, European and other international registers as well as cooperation with the security authorities of other countries. Legislation gives border guards strong powers to verify the background details of passengers arriving in Finland and the purpose of their trip. If necessary, a person may be denied entry into the country. 

Russians can also apply for asylum in the same way as other nationalities.  In recent years and in the previous decade, the number of asylum applications submitted by Russian citizens has varied annually between 200 and 500. The most significant groups of Russian citizens applying for asylum have been people from the North Caucasus, political activists and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The number of Russians seeking asylum in Finland has increased slightly since the war. 

Temporary protection is intended for people fleeing the war in Ukraine. Temporary protection may also be granted to those citizens of non-EU countries and non-Schengen countries and stateless persons who have fled due to the Russian invasion and who are legally resident in Ukraine and who are unable to return to their country of origin safely and permanently.

Temporary protection for people fleeing from Ukraine 

The threshold for intervening in the legal status of a Finnish citizen by revoking their citizenship is high, and this threshold cannot be considered to be exceeded merely because the person is on a sanctions list.

A person may lose their Finnish citizenship on the basis of treason, high treason or terrorist offences for which the most severe punishment provided is at least eight years of imprisonment

Russian is the most common foreign language spoken in Finland. More than 80,000 people speak it as their mother tongue in Finland.  

Russian citizens are the largest group of foreign nationals living in Finland. At the end of 2021, there were about 66,000 Russian citizens or dual Russian and Finnish citizens in Finland.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine understandably causes concern, sadness and anger among Finns as well. It is, however, important to not be hostile towards other people, such as Russians living in Finland. 

The harassment and threats that have now been directed at Russian speakers and people of Russian background living in Finland are reprehensible. People of Russian background living in Finland or the people of Russia are not to blame for the situation in Ukraine.

Finland is a strong democracy. Freedom of expression belongs to everyone, but it also has limits. Freedom of expression does not mean that you can threaten or insult people or groups of people.