Finland is working on tougher rules for asylum seekers and for those opting for citizenship. The Finnish government has approved and given to the parliament several motions to tighten immigration. The new reforms will have a strong effect on the new asylum seekers and those who want to use this system as a settlement in the country.
The new rules proposed by the Finland government among other things are focused on:
- the tightening of international protection,
- the prevention of evasion of entry regulations,
- increasing the required time spent in the country from 5 to 8 years for migrants and refugees,
- and the introduction of the border procedure and the accelerated procedure.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen told a press conference on Thursday, 18 April that this is the first part of the government’s joint decision on tightening the immigration policy.
The new proposed rules have seen critisim from many associations, opposition parties and social activists.
Finnish newspaper
Longer stays required for the citizenship required
It has also been advised in the draft that the migrants and refugees will have to wait 8 years instead of 5 to apply for citizenship in Finland. The time passed during the asylum process would not be counted towards a citizenship-eligible stay. For spouses of Finnish citizens, stateless persons, children aged 15 or over, and people who meet a language proficiency requirement will have to wait for 5 years instead of 4 to apply for citizenship.
Ban on switching the asylum status to other resident permits
The government proposes that the “lane change” of those who came to the country as asylum seekers to applicants for work and education-based residence permits would not be possible in the future. A person applying for international protection or receiving a negative decision could not get a residence permit based on work or study, for example. The purpose is to prevent situations where asylum is sought in Finland only to enter the country to work or study.
Faster repatriation
Finland’s asylum system will be made more efficient and speeded up, and the recipients of negative decisions will return or they will be returned to their countries of origin as quickly as possible. The government has also decided that the asylum process will not become an avenue for job hunting or work-based immigration.
Tough rules for illegal migrants
The proposal would practically prevent the possibility of people who are or have been staying in Finland without the right of residence to legalize their stay in the future. A new provision is proposed in the law, which aims to prevent the use of a minor child as a means of entry. In the future, “reprehensible behavior” would also be sufficient as a reason for denying a residence permit, of which various examples are listed in the draft law.
Reprehensible behavior would be counted, for example, if the foreigner has stayed in the country without a residence permit before submitting the residence permit application. A further example of this is also when a foreigner has knowingly done paid work or engaged in business activities in Finland without a legal right.
Change in international protection rules
International protection is also expected to be tightened. In the proposal, the refugee would be granted a residence permit for three years instead of the current four years. The extension permits would be shortened from the previous four years to three years.
The government also intends to change the international protection to a temporary one. The duration of international protection permits will be shortened to the minimum allowed by EU law.
the government also gave its presentation on the border procedure to the parliament. The goal of the border procedure is to speed up the investigation of unfounded applications and the return of applicants who receive a negative decision to their countries of origin. In addition, the movement of asylum seekers in Finland and from Finland to other EU countries is prevented.
In the usual asylum processing, applicants have the opportunity to move freely within Finland. In the border procedure, applicants must stay at or near the border during application processing, in practice at the reception center.
What other EU countries are doing for asylum seekers?
Expert Opinion
We asked the Immigration expert “Umer Rasib,” about these new reforms in Finland and further what other EU countries are doing for the asylum seekers, in his response, he said:
“Every country has its rights, rules, and regulations to announce and implement for the refugees. But a ban on switching “immigration lanes” seems unnecessary. Once you allow asylum seekers in your country, it could be better to allow them to work in the country to help them better integrate and help the economy of the country by paying taxes.
Letting them stay at home, waiting for longer periods for the asylum applications to be decided can harm their personalities. Let them work during these times or allow them if they are qualified enough to better support the country and not sit home idle, enjoying the heating in the room, and getting the monthly allowance to eat and do nothing.
We can here check the example of Germany which allows many of the migrants during their asylum application process to work. Now these asylum seekers are an integral part of the German labor market and are working in tourism, gastronomy, hoteling, construction, cleaning, and many other professions. Germany has also awarded one and a half years of residence permits to all asylum seekers who have lived in the country for 5 years before 2022. This helped these people learn the language, and find jobs in the labor market. Germany on the other hand is also working hard to tighten the rules for illegal migrants by introducing new laws. But it does not stop qualified and skilled asylum seekers from switching visa routes and paying taxes to boost the economy.
Italy is also no exception, where the agri-food industry is at its peak and according to new reports, 50 percent of workers in this industry are immigrants”.
Spain is also working on legalizing undocumented migrants which are almost 400,000 currently. The process is expected to be completed in six months. The Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP), supported by 612,275 signatures, to regularize “between 390,000 and 470,000” people who live irregularly in Spain.
Portugal plays also a vital role in integrating migrants. It allows through its special immigration laws to help set the immigrants even if they do not have a valid temporary residence permit. One can, even without a TRC, start working in the country, paying taxes and social security contributions, and apply for a temporary residence permit after in some cases six or 12 months. There are thousands of such success stories in Portugal. It uses migrants as a part of taxable workers and does not let them sit home and wait for the asylum process results and get monthly allowances to enjoy life on the taxpayer’s money.
These all countries are also combating the negative effects of the asylum seekers but they have learned to use their skills in the labor market so that they become a fruitful part of the society and seek faster integration”.