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5.6.2025 | The conditions for obtaining a permanent residence permit will be tightened. For example, the continuous period of residence required for the permit will be extended. Applicants will also be required to demonstrate proficiency in Finnish or Swedish and have a work history of a certain length. The Government submitted to Parliament the relevant proposal for amending the Aliens Act on 5 June.

22.5.2025 | The efficiency of examining asylum applications will be improved. At the same time, restrictions will be placed on the ability of beneficiaries of international protection to visit the countries from which they have fled. The enforcement of deportation decisions will also be streamlined. The Government submitted the new amendments to the Aliens Act for approval on 22 May. The President of the Republic is scheduled to approve the amendments on 23 May, and they will enter into force on 1 June.

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

21.11.2024 | International protection will be made temporary in nature and the length of permits will be shortened to the minimum allowed by EU law. Committing offences and endangering national security will lead to the refusal or end of protection status. The Government submitted the amendments to the Aliens Act for approval on Thursday 21 November. The President of the Republic is to approve the amendments on Friday. The amendments will enter into force on 2 January 2025.

3.10.2024 | The Government proposes that the provisions of the Aliens Act on detention be tightened and the provisions on entry bans be reformed. In addition, the Act would provide for the possibility of withdrawing a residence permit from an alien staying outside Finland and imposing an entry ban for security reasons. The Government submitted a proposal on the amendments to Parliament on 3 October.

12.6.2025 | The Government will tighten conditions for family reunification, in other words residence permits issued to foreign nationals on the basis of family ties. In its session on 12 June, the Government proposed that the President of the Republic approve the relevant amendments to the Aliens Act on 13 June. The amendments will enter into force on 16 June.

28.7.2023 | On 28 July, the Ministry of the Interior launched a new legislative project to introduce a border procedure in Finland. Due to time constraints, Parliament did not finish its consideration of the previous Government’s legislative proposal, which then lapsed. Now preparations are about to continue under the new Government Programme.

23.10.2023 | The Ministry has set up three projects aimed at tightening the rules on international protection in line with the Government Programme. The planned changes will make international protection temporary in nature and introduce the option to withdraw protection if the applicant commits a serious offence. Finland will also introduce a new border procedure and make the asylum process more efficient.

27.6.2024 | A new border procedure will be added to Finnish legislation. The procedure will allow asylum applications submitted by persons who have already arrived in the country to be processed near the border if certain preconditions are met. These are different provisions from the border security act that is currently being discussed by Parliament.

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.

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.   

18.4.2024 | On 18 April, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal for introducing a new border procedure. The Aliens Act will be amended in line with the EU Asylum Procedures Directive to introduce the new border procedure in Finland. The purpose of the border procedure is to enhance the examination of unfounded applications and the return of applicants whose application has been rejected. In addition, this will prevent secondary movements of asylum seekers to other EU countries. 

18.4.2024 | The Government intends to make international protection temporary in nature. The length of international protection permits will be shortened to the minimum allowed by EU law. In addition, any particularly serious offence committed in Finland or endangerment of national security would prevent a person from being granted international protection. The Government submitted its legislative proposal to Parliament on 18 April.

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.

24.2.2022 | A working group chaired by the Ministry of the Interior has assessed legislation falling within the purview of the Ministry and the need for amendments to prepare for hybrid influencing that exploits migration. The study suggests that practical amendments for responding to hybrid influencing and managing situations could be made to the Aliens Act, the Act on the Reception of Persons Applying for Internatio...

10.5.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments draft amendments to the Aliens Act that would enable the introduction of the border procedure. The border procedure would allow the processing of potentially unfounded asylum applications immediately at or in the vicinity of the border. This would prevent asylum applicants from travelling within Finland or from Finland to other EU countries. The deadline for submitting comments is 23 May.

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. 

15.10.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to prepare the necessary legislative amendments to implement the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in Finland.

12.9.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a draft government proposal on tightening the conditions for family reunification. The conditions would be made more stringent in cases where a third-country national applies for a residence permit based on family ties. The legislative project aims to introduce the additional conditions for family reunification enabled by the EU Family Reunification Directive, and to draft the required amendments to the Aliens Act.

22.6.2022 | In future, the border procedure could be introduced by decision of the Government if an exceptionally large number of people were to arrive in Finland over a short period of time or if hybrid influence activities that exploit migration were directed against Finland. The Government submitted the relevant proposal for amending the Aliens Act to Parliament on 22 June. The purpose of the proposal is to make it easier to manage migrants who have made their way towards Finland.