© MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR 2015/ Finland
Immigration policy / Finland /As a responsible member of the international community, Finland is committed to providing international protection to those who need it.
Migration policy
The drafting of migration legislation is based on EU legislation, the objectives established by the Finnish Government and international agreements binding on Finland. The most important of these are the European Convention on Human Rights, United Nations Convention against Torture, Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
Migration Strategy focuses on employment questions and non-discrimination
Released in 2013, Finland's Migration Strategy lays down guidelines for migration policy over the long term. The key message of the Strategy is that people who move to Finland and settle in the country must be included in the process of building our shared future. Migrant communities must be treated as active subjects and participants rather than objects of services and measures.
The Migration Strategy is based on the following three principles:
Finland is an open and safe country
The Strategy views migration as an opportunity: mobility creates international networks and brings with it new ways of doing things.
Migration will help to answer to Finland's dependency ratio problem, but at the same time, competition for workers between countries will increase. To succeed in this competition, Finland must be able to effectively attract skilled workers who will stay in the country for the longer term.
As a responsible member of the international community, Finland is committed to providing international protection to those who need it.
Besides opportunities, migration also presents challenges, such as illegal immigration and phenomena associated with human trafficking and social exclusion. In parallel with promoting openness, the Strategy draws attention to the importance of managing migration and ensuring safety. Well-managed migration takes society's capacity and safety into account.
Everyone can find a role to play
Migration policy aims to ensure that new arrivals in Finland are able to make use of their skills in various ways and to participate in the further development of Finnish society. Learning of Finnish and/or Swedish, together with personal networks of contacts, are of great importance for participation in society.
The Strategy highlights the fact that foreign-language speakers include a wide range of people in different life situations. Family is of great importance for successful integration.
With regard to the future, it is necessary to increase teaching of Finnish and/or Swedish as well as other education and training organised as part of labour policy. The opportunities to study Finnish and/or Swedish while in employment must also be developed further.
Diversity is part of everyday life
The Strategy states that the principles of the inviolability of human dignity, the freedom and rights of the individual and the promotion of justice in society, as set out in the Constitution of Finland, are at the heart of the Finnish legal system. These fundamental values serve as a foundation for the acceptance of diversity.
Discrimination occurring in different areas of life, such as employment, must be monitored systematically. Politicians, the media, public authorities and civil society organisations play a key part in influencing public debate about migration and people's impressions of migration.
© MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR 2015
Fight against illegal immigration
Illegal residence usually means that a foreign national resides in the country without the required travel document and/or visa or residence permit. Foreign nationals may also evade the provisions on entry by misusing the legal methods of entering the country. In these cases, they have acquired visas or residence permits on false grounds, by withholding information or giving false information.
An effective fight against illegal immigration requires good cooperation, and exchange of information between public authorities both at national and international level. Cooperation between Finnish missions, border check authorities, the police and the Finnish Immigration Service is very important. This cooperation also involves several other administrative sectors.
Every year, Finnish authorities uncover a few thousand foreign nationals residing illegally in Finland. The majority of these people apply for international protection (asylum), as soon as they are found to be illegally residing in the country. They have the right to stay in Finland after they have lodged an asylum application, and while it is being examined.
Most foreign nationals residing illegally in Finland come to Finland through the Schengen area. Border controls are carried out only in exceptional cases between the Schengen States. The effective fight against illegal immigration requires adequate operations in the regions of origin, not only at the external borders of Schengen. The objective is to place an increasing number of liaison officers representing security and migration authorities at Finnish diplomatic missions abroad.
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