Search

The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for the preparation of migration policy and legislation

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...

10.12.2025 | An independent group of experts has conducted a broad-based interim evaluation of the wellbeing services county reform, which was published on 10 December. Minister of Social Affairs and Health Kaisa Juuso, Minister of Local and Regional Government Anna-Kaisa Ikonen and Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen consider the findings valuable.

10.12.2025 | The wellbeing services county reform is progressing towards the set objectives throughout Finland, but there are still many issues left to address. This is according to a broad-based interim evaluation of the wellbeing services county reform made by an independent expert group.

Research, development and innovation Research, development and innovation (RDI) are part of the implementation of the Ministry of the Interior's tasks, the joint strategy for the administrative branch and the Government Programme. Ministry of the ...

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.

20.12.2022 | Amendments to the Aliens Act will extend the use of a long-term visa known as a D visa. The amendments will contribute to promoting education-based and labour-based immigration and streamline entry procedures. The President of the Republic approved the amendments on 20 December.

18.2.2022 | On 18 February, the Ministry of the Interior sent out for comments draft amendments to the Aliens Act which would extend the use of a long-term visa known as a D visa. Long-term visas would speed up entry into the country for people who have been issued with residence permits.

16.6.2022 | Amendments to the Aliens Act would extend the use of a long-term visa known as a D visa. The amendments would contribute to promoting education-based and labour-based immigration and streamline entry procedures. The Government submitted a proposal on the amendments to Parliament on 16 June.

22.3.2018 | Residence permits for researchers and students would be extended and job-seeking and entrepreneurship would be encouraged through a residence permit granted for this. The goal of this act implementing the EU Directive on students and researchers is that most students completing their degrees in EU countries stay and work in the Union.

10.8.2018 | Residence permits for researchers and students from outside the EU will be extended and job-seeking and entrepreneurship will be encouraged through a residence permit granted for these purposes. The Government submitted the relevant bills for approval on 9 August. The President of the Republic is to approve the bills on 10 August, and they are to enter into force on 1 September 2018.

12.12.2017 | The Ministry of the Interior has circulated for comment the Government’s draft proposal concerning the European Union Directive on conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, training and voluntary service. Residence permits for researchers and students would be extended and job-seeking and entrepreneurship would be encouraged through a residence permit granted for this.

23.1.2023 | A study commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior explored ways to anticipate future needs for amendments when drafting legislation. To this end, the study looked into the amendments made to the Aliens Act and the motivations behind them. The study was carried out by Åbo Akademi University in cooperation with researchers from the University of Turku.

17.4.2023 | The final report of the preliminary study on the monopoly for gambling activities was submitted to the Ministry of the Interior on 17 April 2023. The objective of the project, for which the Ministry of the Interior appointed a research group on 5 January 2023, was to describe the current state of affairs and map out alternative models for the gambling system to support political decision-making. 

Small ministry, large branch of government The National Police Board and the Finnish Immigration Service operate under the Ministry of the Interior. The agencies provide guidance within their scope of activities. The Finnish Border Guard is respon...

Police agencies and responsibilities Police agencies include the National Police Board, local police departments, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Police University College. The National Police Board directs the activities of the polic...

Requests for information Under the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999), everyone has the right of access to the public documents of the Ministry. Please make your request as detailed as possible, as this will help us find the d...

1.9.2022 | A study commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior will examine whether the future needs for legislative amendments can be anticipated in law drafting and how such needs could be prepared for. The study will consider the amendments made to the Aliens Act and their causes. The research will be carried out by Åbo Akademi University in cooperation with researchers from the University of Turku.

21.12.2022 | The start of 2023 will see the entry into force of amendments to acts and decrees. This press release provides a summary of the most important changes. 

21.7.2022 | The National Action Plan for the Prevention of Violent Radicalisation and Extremism for 2019–2023 has now reached its halfway point, and despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, reasonable progress was made in 2021. The main focus of the measures implemented in 2021 was on organising different types of training online, according to the annual report.