Finland Threatens to Tighten Asylum Rules for Iraqis and Somalis

Finnish immigration authorities are reviewing how they deal with asylum seekers from Iraq and Somalia, who until now have been offered residence permits based on the assumption that is it unsafe to return to their home country.

The Finnish Immigration Service is launching a review into its guidelines on asylum seekers, which currently grant asylum to Iraqis and Somalians based on the assumption that is it unsafe to return to their home country, in contrast to other countries in the EU which do not automatically grant protection.

"The Finnish Immigration Service will update its assessments of the security situation in Iraq and Somalia. It will also review the possibilities to return people to these countries," said the Immigration Service in a statement.

"According to the present guidelines set out by the Finnish Immigration Service, asylum seekers from the central parts of Iraq and from southern and central Somalia are granted residence permits on the basis of subsidiary protection or humanitarian protection solely due to the security situation in their home region. The guidelines will be revised in the light of new information, if necessary."

Up to September 20, 12,471 asylum seekers arrived in Finland this year, 62 percent of whom came from Iraq, and 13 percent from Somalia. In 2014, a total of 3,651 people claimed asylum in Finland.

At the beginning of September the Finnish Interior Ministry doubled its estimate for the number of asylum seekers expected to reach Finland this year to 30,000, just weeks after raising the estimate to 15,000. 

Last week a new registration center for asylum seekers opened in the northern town of Tornio, in order to deal with the rising number of applicants.  On September 19 the Finnish Interior Ministry announced the imposition of police checks at Tornio, which borders with Sweden, after it was reported that up to 300 people were illegally crossing into Finland from Sweden each day.