Pakolaiset ja turvapaikanhakijat

Refugees

Quota refugees enter Finland every year. You cannot apply for the status of a quota refugee. Quota refugees are selected from people who have a refugee status. Refugee status is granted by UNHCR, the United Nations’ principal refugee agency. The Finnish government decides annually the size of the refugee quota.

More information on quota refugees is available on the Finnish Immigration Service (maahanmuuttovirasto) website in Finnish, Swedish and English.

 (Suomen Pakolaisapu) website contains a wealth of information concerning refugees in Finnish.

Asylum seekers

Asylum seekers are people who are seek protection and a residence permit in a foreign country due to being persecuted in their country of origin. The persecution may be based on religion, race, nationality or political views or the fact that the person belongs to a certain social class.

Application for asylum is handed over to the passport control officials or the police in writing as soon as the asylum seeker enters the country. The application must be filed on arrival in Finland or immediately afterwards. Make sure to declare in detail your reasons for seeking asylum.

Once you have applied for asylum, you will be entitled to stay in Finland for the duration of the processing of your application. You cannot travel abroad within that period of time. Your leaving the country will be viewed as a confirmation that your problem has been solved and thus your application will be withdrawn. Accommodation is organised in several reception centres throughout Finland. If you leave your residential area for a longer period of time, make sure to inform the authority that is dealing with your situation.

The Finnish Immigration Service decides on granting asylum.

The applicant for asylum is granted refugee status, if the criteria for being a refugee are fulfilled. Instead of asylum, foreigners residing in Finland may be granted a residence permit based on the need for protection, for example, when he or she cannot return to his or her homeland because of an armed conflict.

If the decision on the asylum is negative, and the applicant is not granted a residence permit on any other grounds, the applicant is turned back to the country of origin. The Dublin decision means that the applicant is returned to another EU county. The applicant can appeal a negative decision at the Administrative Court in Helsinki and after that apply for an appeal permit at the Supreme Administrative Court.

Assistance and advice

The staff of your reception centre will help you with practical matters. Legal advice is available from the Refugee Advice Centre (Pakolaisneuvonta). The Ombudsman for Minorities (vähemmistövaltuutettu) is also happy to help. With psychological problems you can turn to the Immigration Department of the SOS Centre (SOS-keskuksen ulkomaalaisyksikkö). The Department’s help line is 09 41350 510, and calls can be taken 9 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. Victims of torture should contact the Centre for Torture Survivors (Kidutettujen kuntoutuskeskus).

The Finnish Immigration Service’s service numbers

Calls are answered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 10.00-11.00

Asylum applications and residency matters related to them, telephone 071 873 3680

Quota refugees, placement into municipalities and underage asylum applicants who came to the country alone, telephone 071 873 3690

Travel documents and alien’s passports of refugees, telephone 071 873 3640

Family

Information on how your family can join you in Finland is available on the website of the Refugee Advice Centre (Pakolaisneuvonta) in the section on “Family Reunification” and on the website of the Finnish Red Cross in Finnish and Swedish. You can also ask for advice from the Finnish Red Cross.

Information on obtaining a residence permit on the grounds of family ties can be found on the website of the Finnish Immigration service in Finnish, Swedish and English.

Further information

More information on asylum seekers, the application procedure and other related matters is available on the website of the Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto) and the Refugee Advice Centre.

The website of the Finnish Immigration Service contains information for asylum seekers in the following languages:

English
Finnish
Swedish
Russian
French
Albanian
Arabic
Somali
Kurd
Dari

You can ask the Finnish Immigration Service by phone about residency permit applications which have been made on the basis of a family tie: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 10.00-11.00, telephone 071 873 3750.

Assisted voluntary return

If you are staying in Finland as a refugee, an asylum seeker or without a residence permit and would like to return to your native country, help is available. Information on assisted voluntary return is available for example at the International Organisation of Migration (IOM), at your reception centre or from your home municipality.

If you wish to return to your native country or are contemplating returning, ask for advice at your reception centre or from a social worker in your home municipality or at the IOM office in Helsinki. You may be eligible for financial support and help for organising the journey.

Information on assisted voluntary return in Finnish and English.

Contact information of the International Organisation of Migration Helsinki office in English.