Sök

11.11.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior invites comments on proposed amendments to the Act on Shooting Ranges and the Environmental Protection Act. In line with the Government Programme, the aim is to simplify the environmental permit processes and legislation concerning shooting ranges. The public consultation remains open until 23 December 2025.

10.7.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior has launched a survey to better understand the situation of Ukrainians living in Finland. The survey focuses on their employment opportunities, future prospects and return plans. This information will help both the authorities and Ukrainians to prepare for the next steps.

6.8.2025 | Between January and July this year, Finland donated a total of 31 rescue service vehicles to Ukraine. Other civilian material assistance amounted to 32 truckloads of supplies.

10.10.2025 | A study commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior looks at how Ukrainians are managing in Finland, focusing on their employment, future plans and whether they intend to return to Ukraine after their temporary protection ends. Progress in language skills and registering with municipal services after leaving the reception system have helped Ukrainians settle in Finland. However, the relatively low employment rate remains a challenge.

16.1.2025 | The Government has issued a decree bringing into force the agreement on police cooperation in the border area between Finland and Sweden. The agreement will enter into force on 1 February 2025.

30.7.2025 | During the summer, there have been significantly more drownings and serious near misses than usual at public swimming areas. The Ministry of the Interior, the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes), the National Police Board of Finland and the Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation met on 30 July to discuss safety at swimming areas.

3.9.2024 | The 2025 budget proposal of Prime Minister Orpo's Government bolsters conditions for economic growth. Economic growth driven by the private sector will also serve to secure the financing base for central government finances. The fast-acting measures to curb indebtedness that were decided on due to the difficult situation in central government finances will move forward.

21.3.2024 | According to a survey commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior, Ukrainians who arrived in Finland as refugees after February 2022 are satisfied with their life in Finland and more interested than before in staying in the country. The online survey was completed by 1,300 Ukrainians in November 2023.

24.2.2025 | Finland has been active in responding to Ukraine’s need for assistance. Finland has delivered more than 100 vehicles to Ukraine through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The latest consignment of 16 vehicles was delivered during the first weeks of February. Finland has also delivered more than 400 truckloads of civilian material assistance to Ukraine through the EU mechanism.

27.2.2025 | The process of granting temporary protection will become easier both for the beneficiaries and the authorities. At its session on 27 February, the Government proposed amendments to the Aliens Act and the entry-into-force provision of the Act on Temporarily Amending the Aliens Act. The President of the Republic is to approve the amendments on 28 February.

11.12.2024 | During May and November, Finland delivered 68 truckloads of civilian material assistance to Ukraine.

16.5.2024 | The agreement on police cooperation in the border area between Finland and Sweden will further improve the maintenance of security in the northern border area. The President of the Republic is to approve the agreement and the relevant bills on Friday.

24.10.2024 | On 24 October, the Government issued a decree laying down provisions on cooperation in preparedness for civil defence and related plans in the wellbeing services counties. The decree specifies the practices of cooperation between the authorities of the wellbeing services counties.

19.12.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has issued a new decree on the Finnish Immigration Service’s application processing fees. In addition, the decree on the fees charged for reception services will be amended.

27.8.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project for the second phase of the Rescue Act reform. The government proposal is due to be submitted to Parliament in autumn 2025.

5.12.2024 | The Government proposes amendments to the legislation on temporary protection. The aim is to streamline the granting of temporary protection from the perspective of both the beneficiaries and the authorities. The amendments concern people who have fled the war in Ukraine but also other possible situations of temporary protection in the future. The Government submitted the proposal for the amendments to the Aliens Act to Parliament on 5 December.

28.11.2024 | Finland will receive 500 refugees under the refugee quota in 2025. In its plenary session on 28 November, the Government decided on which refugee groups would be included in the quota and how many places would be reserved for each group.

16.10.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a draft government proposal on temporary protection. As the crisis in Ukraine drags on, there is a need to reform the legislation on temporary protection. The project will prepare the necessary amendments to the Aliens Act concerning people who have fled the war in Ukraine but also other possible situations of temporary protection in the future. 

17.12.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has submitted to the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman a follow-up report on the preparation of the allocation of the refugee quota. The report requested by the Ombudsman was also submitted to the Chancellor of Justice. As the matter is of major importance to society and of interest to many, the Ministry of the Interior will make the report available to the public.

4.7.2024 | The reception allowance and the spending allowance to persons entitled to reception services will be reduced. On 4 July, the Government proposed that this amendment to the Reception Act be approved. The President of the Republic is scheduled to approve the amendment on Friday. The amendment will enter into force on 1 August and will remain in force temporarily until the end of 2025.

3.9.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a legislative project to amend the legislation on temporary protection in order to extend temporary protection for Ukrainian nationals and their family members even after 4 March 2025. The project will prepare the necessary amendments to the Aliens Act.   

4.8.2023 | Summary: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues. As a result of the war, around four million Ukrainians have applied for temporary protection in the Member States of the European Union. Other migration to the EU is also growing. Both the number of asylum applications submitted in the EU and irregular migration to the EU are on the rise. At the moment, migration pressure is concentrated on the Central Mediterranean route from Tunisia and Libya to Italy.

16.8.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Finance have launched an extensive project to examine the need for the development of regional preparedness and situation awareness activities. The aim is to introduce as uniform an operating model and practices as possible for managing emergency conditions and various incidents under normal conditions across Finland.

18.4.2024 | On 18 April, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal on temporarily reducing the reception allowance and the spending allowance. The act would enter into force as soon as possible and remain in force until the end of 2025.

26.9.2023 | The Ministry of the Interior has launched a project to examine the reception allowance granted to applicants for international protection and beneficiaries of temporary protection. According to the Government Programme, the amount of the reception allowance will be reduced to the minimum amount permitted by the Constitution and the Reception Directive. The aim is to submit a proposal to Parliament for consideration during the 2024 spring session.

19.1.2023 | In November and December, E2 Research conducted a review of what Ukrainians who have fled to Finland think about their life and what kind of plans they have. This was done to deepen and update the information obtained from the report compiled by the Ministry of the Interior in the summer.

21.3.2024 | Sisäministeriön teettämän selvityksen mukaan Suomeen pakolaisina helmikuun 2022 jälkeen saapuneet ukrainalaiset ovat tyytyväisiä elämäänsä Suomessa ja aiempaa kiinnostuneempia jäämään Suomeen. Verkossa toteutettuun kyselyyn vastasi 1 300 ukrainalaista marraskuussa 2023.

19.2.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a government proposal that would provisionally amend the Act on the Reception of Persons Applying for International Protection and on the Identification of and Assistance to Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings. The deadline for submitting comments on the proposal is 13 March 2024.

9.2.2023 | Finland has around 50,500 civil defence shelters with space for about 4.8 million people. Finland has a sufficient number of places in shelters. Civil defence shelters are located in large cities in particular. The highest number of places in civil defence shelters in relation to the population can be found in the Greater Helsinki area and Pirkanmaa. This is evident in the preliminary data of the Ministry of the Interior’s report.

23.2.2024 | The second anniversary of the beginning of the Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine in its entirety will be this week on 24 February 2024. However, one anniversary was already observed last week on 15 February, when it had been exactly two years since the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism following Ukraine’s request for assistance.

10.11.2021 | Parking fines go up in Hyvinkää, Kokkola, Kirkkonummi, Ylöjärvi, and Tikkurila, Vantaa The Ministry of the Interior has issued a new decree on parking penalty charge notices. The parking penalty charge notice, known as a parking fine, will go up in Hyvinkää from EUR 50 to EUR 60, in Kokkola from EUR 40 to EUR 50, in Kirkkonummi from EUR 25 to EUR 50 and in Ylöjärvi from EUR 30 to EUR 40.  The one char...

23.6.2021 | The Government proposal for legislation on establishing wellbeing services counties and reforming the organisation of healthcare, social welfare and rescue services was adopted by Parliament on 23 June 2021. The proposed wellbeing services counties will be established as soon as possible after the passing and approval of the relevant acts. The acts will enter into force in stages, the first ones on 1 July 2021 and the last ones on 1 January 2023.

20.10.2022 | The Government aims to improve the status of victims of human trafficking and strengthen their right to services, regardless of the progress of related criminal proceedings in a human trafficking case. The purpose is to loosen the link between assistance to victims and criminal proceedings by amending the Act on the Reception of Persons Applying for International Protection and on the Identification of and Assistance to Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings.

1.9.2022 | The budget proposal for 2023 of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government builds sustainable growth for the future, secures purchasing power and assists people with the hike in electricity prices. The budget proposal responds to the effects of Russia’s war of aggression and inflation, improves safety and security, security of supply, and energy self-sufficiency, and provides further investment in research and development and in the green transition.

20.5.2021 | The report ordered by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment assesses whether Finland could use the so-called community sponsorship integration model when accepting refugees. According to the reports, the model could make the integration of refugees in Finland faster and support the integration work led by the state and municipalities.

22.12.2022 | Under certain conditions, Finland may assist the voluntary return of people to their home country. A study commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior will assess which new client groups should be included in the target group for voluntary return. The study will be conducted by Owal Group.

20.12.2021 | The Ministry of the Interior has today set up a legislative project to prepare a government proposal for adopting and bringing into force the agreement on police cooperation in the border area between Finland and Sweden.

16.12.2021 | The reception act will be amended so that the Finnish Immigration Service will have central responsibility for preparedness planning concerning the organisation of reception services in the event of a mass influx of migrants. The President of the Republic approved the bill for the act on Thursday 16 December. The act will enter into force on 1 January 2022.

23.8.2021 | Finland arranged a flight from Tbilisi to Helsinki on 23 August as part of the evacuations from Afghanistan. A total of 102 persons arrived in Finland on the flight. The youngest arrivals are small children.

15.12.2021 | The Government plans to decide on new entry restrictions on Thursday 16 December 2021. Health security measures would be tightened and the existing restrictions on entry at external borders would be extended until 16 January 2022.