COUNTRY FACTSHEET: Finland 2015

Transcription

1 COUNTRY FACTSHEET: Finland 2015 EUROPEAN MIGRATION NETWORK 1. Introduction This EMN Country Factsheet provides a factual overview of the main policy developments in migration and international protection in Finland during 2015, including latest statistics. 2. Common European Asylum System The relocation of asylum seekers from Italy and Greece began in 2015 as per Council Decisions (EU) 2015/1601 and 2015/1523). Thus far, Finland has committed to relocate a total of 3,200 out of 160,000 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece in two years time. In 2015, the total number of accepted relocations was 149: 51 from Greece and 98 from Italy. The relocations actually carried out, however, were 111. The 38 remaining relocations have been postponed until In July 2015, the EU s Ministers of the Interior agreed on the reception of quota refugees. Finland s share is 293 persons during the next two years. These are part of Finland s annual refugee quota which thus far has been, on average, 750 persons per year. During the past two years, the refugee quota has been raised to 1,050 persons per year. The legislative amendments related to the reception of applicants for international protection also entered into force in The amendments have harmonised Finnish legislation with the EU s Reception Conditions Directive which is part of the regulation entity related to the Common European Asylum System. In September 2015, the Government established a registration centre (hotspot) in Tornio (in the north, near the Swedish border), as a response to the sharp increase in the number of asylum seekers. The aim of having all immigrants registered in a controlled manner has been achieved as asylum seekers can no longer move on to other parts of Finland uncontrollably. The registration centre was mainly operated by the personnel of the Police, the Border Guard and the Finnish Immigration Service. In September 2015, the Ministry of the Interior established an expert group in light of the sharp increase in the number of asylum seekers in Finland. In addition, at the beginning of November 2015, the Police and the Finnish Immigration Service adopted a common operating model in which a single authority will conduct both the initial hearing and the asylum interview at the same time. Due to the significant increase in the number of asylum applications, the number of asylum application case workers at the Finnish Immigration Service was increased in 2015 from 73 to 220 people and two new regional offices (Turku, Rovaniemi) were established. Furthermore, the Finnish Immigration Service was given a fixed-term mandate to establish necessary reception and registration centres until 31 December 2015, a competence which normally lies with the Ministry of the Interior. In 2015, the number of residents in the reception units intended for adults and families increased eightfold, from 3,300 to 27,300 residents. Similarly, the number of reception units has grown sevenfold, from 20 to Unaccompanied Minors and other Vulnerable Groups Due to the increase in the number of asylum-seeking unaccompanied minors, a total of 60 new group homes and supported living units were established for such minors. Migration & Home Affairs

2 In addition, the Immigration Service arranges supported housing and training for said minors in 20 folk high schools 1 through the Nutukka project (Young Asylum Seekers at Folk High Schools). In 2015, the Aliens Act was amended to prohibit the detention of an asylum-seeking unaccompanied minor (below 15 years of age) even after the decision of his/ her removal has become enforceable. Furthermore, the Act restricts the detention of minors (including those above 15 years of age) for the purpose of ensuring removal and prohibits their detention on police premises. 4. European Policy on Legal migration and Integration In 2015, the Finnish Government approved the Government migration policies 2. The 65 actions contained therein apply to migration flows and entry management as well as to reception, processing procedures, social security and integration. The actions focus on ensuring sufficient availability of municipal placements, through efficient and compulsory inclusion in integration-supporting actions as well as through a better employment of the migrants innovation and entrepreneurship skills PROMOTING LEGAL MIGRATION CHANNELS Finland has used social media to share information regarding Finnish immigration regulations with potential migrants in their country of origin. There are also several websites that promote and disseminate information on legal migration ( www,infopankki.fi, ECONOMIC MIGRATION The Government s aim is to promote work-related migration that enhances employment in Finland, boosts public finances, improves the dependency ratio and contributes to the internationalisation of the economy. In order to attract highly qualified foreign workers to Finland, a joint project is planned to be carried out by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy. The project aims at attracting foreign investors, entrepreneurs and leading experts to Finland. The Ministry of the Interior has launched a project to reform the residence permit system for investors, entrepreneurs and experts coming from third countries. 3 With regard to equal treatment and antidiscrimination, the new Non-Discrimination Act entered into force on 1 st January The Act extends the duty to promote equality and prevent discrimination in Finland also to training and education organisers, educational institutions and employers as well as the authorities FAMILY REUNIFICATION With regard to case law, on 1 st July 2015, the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that refusing a residence permit on the grounds that the person does not possess, nor can they acquire from the Somali state, a travel document that Finland would accept, restricted the applicant s and their sponsor s right to family reunification in Finland. In September 2015, the Ministry of the Interior set up a legislative project to review family reunification criteria in order to comply with the EU s Family Reunification Directive. The tightening of family reunification criteria is part of the Government Programme approved in the spring of 2015 and the related Government Bill is scheduled to be submitted to the Parliament in spring INTEGRATION On 27 November 2015, the Ministerial Working Group on migration adopted the Action Plan on Integration to tackle the issue of increasing immigration. The plan includes over thirty actions, which also take into account the need to provide immigrants with basic municipal services and labour administration services. Finland has started the preparation of the Government Integration Programme (VALKO II) for The Programme aims at improving the efficiency of national-level planning and monitoring of integration measures as well as promoting integration both in basic services and in other measures pursuant to the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration. 1 These are high schools which are alternative to those within the regular system. They have greater pedagogical freedom and don t lead to qualifications. 2 Retrievable in Finnish at: [ 0616]. 3 o_facilitate_granting_of_residence_permits_to_foreign_invest ors_entrepreneurs_and_leading_experts_

3 Alongside the Government Integration Programme, Finland is developing an Integration Partnership Programme. The programme will include initiatives supporting immigrants who wish to start up a business, encouraging asylum seekers to become more active, finding ways in which immigrants could help to develop Finnish companies and facilitating the employment of immigrants. In 2015, the government reviewed the Finnish language courses on offer in Finland. By the end of spring 2016 measures aimed at further developing such courses will be drafted. As part of the Government s 2015 migration policies, relevant ministries will initiate a joint investigation project into methods for decreasing the level of reception allowance. As of March 2015, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) offers information in English, Russian, Sami and Kurdish as a remote service via video connection. Both a project and two sub-projects focusing on integration are currently ( ) being implemented in Finland, these are the national At Home in Finland project, the Good Start and the Good Path sub-projects. The former develops services that support the integration of migrants, while the latter two focus on the early stages of integration and on enhancing the effectiveness of local integration activities. These projects are funded through the European Social Fund and are coordinated by bodies responsible for the regional implementation of the tasks of the central government MANAGING MIGRATION AND MOBILITY 4 As of the end of 2015, Finland outsourced its visa application procedure to VFS Global, a private company, in three new countries (China, India and Turkey). The total number of visa application centres (VAC) which visa applicants to Finland can use is of about 30 in those three countries EXTERNAL DIMENSION OF EU MIGRATION POLICY The government is currently defining its development policy which will take into greater account the ongoing migrant and refugee crisis A White paper on this topic was finalised in late Managing migration and mobility refers to the following themes: visa policy, Schengen governance and border monitoring. In 2015, Finland initiated a diaspora programme with IOM and the Finnish Somali diaspora. The programme covers both the health and the education sectors, aiming to strengthen the capacity of the authorities and the service providers at the federal and sub-federal levels. Between Somali diaspora professionals will carry out temporary capacity building and mentoring assignments in health and education ministries, as well as other institutions, such as local health institutions and universities, transferring skills and experiences gained while working and studying in Finland. 5. Irregular Migration and Return In 2015, legislation was amended to authorise the Police and the Border Guard to carry out the monitoring of foreign nationals also on premises subject to public peace. A project lasting until 2016 has also been set up by the Ministry of the Interior to improve the efficiency of the removal of foreign nationals found guilty of crimes. The purpose is to chart any removal-related problems. In late 2015, the Finnish Immigration Service established the position of a Special Senior Adviser for prevention of irregular migration. 6. Actions against Trafficking in Human Beings Amendments to legislation concerning the National Assistance System for Victims of Trafficking came into effect on 1 st July 2015, adding the following elements: A description of the grounds for removing a person from the assistance system, thus making the system more transparent and accountable. A recovery period for vulnerable and/ or fearful victims. The possibility for the Assistance System to formally identify its customer as a victim of trafficking. In July 2015, the Assistance System published a booklet on victim assistance and the Assistance System. STATISTICAL ANNEX The Statistical Annex provides an overview of the latest available statistics for Finland on aspects of migration and asylum ( ), including residence, asylum, unaccompanied minors, irregular migration, return and visas. Where statistics are not yet available, this is indicated in the Annex as N/A. 3

4 Statistical Annex: Immigration and Asylum in Finland ( ) 1. COMMON EUROPEAN ASYLUM SYSTEM Figure 1: Asylum applications as a share of the total population in Finland, EU average and EU high and low ( ) Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asyappctza), data extracted 04/07/2016 Figure 2: Number of asylum applications and as a share of the total number of applications in the EU ( ) Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asyappctza), data extracted 04/07/2016 Table 1: Asylum applications: Top five third-country nationalities ( ) Nationality Nr % of total Nationality Nr % of total Nationality Nr % of total Nationality Nr % of total Iraq % Iraq % Iraq % Iraq 20,465 63% Russia 225 7% Russia 245 8% Somalia % Afghanistan 5,205 16% Afghanistan 210 7% Somalia 215 7% Ukraine 300 8% Somalia 1,980 6% Somalia 200 6% Nigeria 205 6% Afghanistan 205 6% Syria 875 3% Syria 185 6% Afghanistan 200 6% Russia 200 6% Albania 760 2% Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asyappctza), data extracted 04/07/2016 4

5 Figure 3: Asylum applications: Top five third-country nationalities as a share of EU total per given nationality (2015) Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asyappctza), data extracted 04/07/2016 Note: the figure reads as: Finland received 20,465 asylum applications from Iraqis or 16.38% of all asylum applications lodged by Iraquis in EU in 2015 Table 2: Asylum applications - First instance decisions by outcome ( ) Total decisions Positive decisions Of which: Refugee status Subsidiary protection Humanitarian reasons Negative decisions ,090 1, , ,215 1, , ,340 1, , ,960 1,680 1, ,280 Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asydcfsta), data extracted 04/07/2016 Figures 4-7: Asylum applications - First instance decisions by outcome ( ) Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asydcfsta), data extracted 04/07/2016 Figure 8: Negative decision rate for the top five nationalities of applicants at the first instance in comparison with EU for the same given nationality (2015) Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asydcfsta), data extracted 04/07/2016 5

6 Figure 9: Third-country nationals resettled ( ) Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_asyresa), data extracted 04/07/ UNACCOMPANIED MINORS Figure 10: Unaccompanied minors applying for asylum ( ) Table 3: Unaccompanied minors ( ) Unaccompanied minors (total) NA NA NA NA Unaccompanied minor asylum ,535 applicants Source: Eurostat Asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors by citizenship, age and sex Annual data (rounded) [migr_asyunaa], data extracted 04/07/2016; EMN NCPs 3. EUROPEAN POLICY ON LEGAL MIGRATION AND INTEGRATION Figure 11: First residence permits, by reason ( ) Source: Eurostat (migr_resfirst), data extracted 04/07/2016; EMN NCPs Table 4: First residence permits: Top five third-country nationalities ( ) Nationality Number Nationality Number Nationality Number Nationality Number Russia 4,544 Russia 4,136 Russia 3,496 n/a n/a China (including Hong Kong) 1,442 India 1,699 India 1,848 n/a n/a India 1,118 China (including Hong Kong) 1,571 China (including Hong Kong) 1,553 n/a n/a Ukraine 866 Iraq 1,030 Ukraine 1,119 n/a n/a Russia 4,544 Somalia 991 United States 930 n/a n/a Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_resfirst), data extracted 23/07/2015 6

7 Figure 12: Resident population of third-country nationals as a share of total population in Finland, EU average, EU high and low ( ) Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_pop1ctz), data extracted 04/07/ IRREGULAR MIGRATION AND RETURN Table 5: Number of third-country nationals refused entry at external borders ( ) Third country nationals: Refused entry at external borders Found to be illegally present Ordered to leave 1,640 1,735 1,590 1,070 3,620 3,365 2,930 14,285 4,300 4,330 3,360 4,905 Returned following an order to leave 3,070 3,155 3,195 3,365 Source: Eurostat migration statistics (migr_eirfs)(migr_eipre)(migr_eiord), data extracted 04/07/2016 Table 6: Third-country nationals returned ( ) Returned as part of forced return measures Returned voluntarily 2012 NA ,672 1, ,409 1, ,480 1, Source: EMN NCPs 5. SECURING EUROPE S EXTERNAL BORDERS Table 7: Number of Schengen visas applications ( ) Returned through an Assisted Voluntary Return Programme Uniform visas (short-stay visas) 1,392,048 1,569,961 1,205, ,286 Source: DG Migration and Home Complete statistics on short-stay visas issued by the Schengen States 7

8 Figure 13: Uniform visa applications received in Finland as a share of the total number of uniform visa applications in all Schengen states consulates ( ) Complete statistics on short-stay visas issued by the Schengen States Table 8: Top five countries in which the highest number of visa applications for Finland was lodged Country Number Country Number Country Number Country Number Russia 1,324,705 Russia 1,501,223 Russia 1,139,522 Russia 710,793 China 15,347 Ukraine 16,803 China 14,389 China 17,610 Ukraine 14,752 China 14,870 Ukraine 13,772 Ukraine 15,297 Thailand 7,454 Thailand 7,793 Thailand 7,447 Thailand 8,704 India 6,113 India 6,169 India 6,115 India 6, ASYLUM AND MIGRATION EU FUNDING SOURCES ( AND ) Table 9: Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) Areas AMIF Asylum 7,206,944 Legal Migration and Integration 9,114,664 Return 4,875,285 Technical Assistance 2,291,882 Special cases (resettlement/transfer) 20,650,000 TOTAL 44,138,777 Table 10: Internal Security Fund (ISF) allocation in euro per area Areas ISF ISF Borders 36,934,528 ISF SA Frontex 360,000 ISF SA Consular cooperation NA ISF Borders Emergency Assistance NA ISF Police 15,682,348 TOTAL 52,976,876 allocation in euro per area Table 11: SOLID funds allocation in euro and share of total funds allocated to Finland ( ) SOLID FUNDS TOTAL European Refugee Fund (ERF) NA 1,424,65 4(1.9%) 2,305,36 4(2.3%) 2,528,50 6(2.7%) 2,558,48 1(2.59% ) 3,053,75 2(2.9%) 4,709,75 7 (4.1%) 16,580,516 (2.8%) 8

9 SOLID FUNDS TOTAL European Return Fund (RF) NA 661,470 (1.2%) 659,437 (1.1%) 664,566 (0.8%) 726,573 (0.7%) 902,925 (0.6%) 1,473,81 8 (0.8%) 5,088,789 (0.8%) European Fund for the Integration of TCN (EIF) 786,446 (1.2%) 851,765 (1.1%) 980,449 (1%) 996,394 (0.9%) 1,135,90 2 (0.9%) 1,386,91 0 (0.9%) 1,557,31 1 (0.8%) 7,695,177 (0.9%) External Borders Fund (EBF) 4,729,90 6(3.3%) 5,453,96 6 (4.1%) 6,191,29 1 (3.9%) 5,517,99 3 (2.9%) 7,024,59 8 (3%) 9,780,74 7 (3%) 12,566,1 30 (3%) 51,264,631 (3.2%) 7. INSPECTIONS CARRIED OUT TO DETECT EMPLOYMENT OF IRREGULAR MIGRANTS Table 12: Number of Inspections carried out to detect employment of irregular migrants and share of inspections as a percentage of the employers in sector (in %) RISK SECTOR 2015 No. % Agriculture, forestry and fishing 564 N/a Mining and quarrying 87 N/a Manufacturing 3,909 N/a Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 127 N/a Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities 407 N/a Construction 4,910 N/a Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles 3,581 N/a Transportation and storage 2,155 N/a Accommodation and food service activities 2,407 N/a Information and communication 218 N/a Financial and insurance activities 141 N/a Real estate activities 309 N/a Professional, scientific and technical activities 739 N/a Administrative and support service activities 1,244 N/a Public administration and defence; compulsory social security 780 N/a Education 774 N/a Human health and social work activities 1,940 N/a Arts, entertainment and recreation 292 N/a Other service activities 716 N/a Activities of households as employers; u0ndifferentiated goods- and servicesproducing activities of households for own use 2 N/a 9

10 Table 13: Number of inspections in which irregular migrant workers were detected (I) and number of irregular migrant workers detected (IWD) 2015 RISK SECTOR Number of inspections in which irregular migrant workers were detected Number of irregular migrant workers detected Agriculture, forestry and fishing 93 N/a Manufacturing 84 N/a Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 3 N/a Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities 2 N/a Construction 270 N/a Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles 57 N/a Transportation and storage 32 N/a Accommodation and food service activities 410 N/a Information and communication 5 N/a Real estate activities 3 N/a Professional, scientific and technical activities 18 N/a Administrative and support service activities 141 N/a Public administration and defence; compulsory social security 1 N/a Education 4 N/a Human health and social work activities 2 N/a Other service activities 9 N/a 10