Under the Integration Act, the first integration plan shall be prepared no later than within three years of the immigrant being issued with their first residence permit or residence card or having their right of residence registered. In respect of victims of human trafficking, the time limit may be derogated from when they can be reached to be given access to integration-promoting services only after the expiration of the time limit.
When the time limit has been reached, an employment plan under the Act on the Organisation of Employment Services will be prepared, when necessary, for an immigrant who is a jobseeker.
The preparation of the integration plan shall be initiated without delay following the assessment of skills and the need for integration services, for example by making an appointment for its preparation, not necessarily by preparing the plan at once. The integration plan may also be prepared in the context of the initial interview included in the assessment.
Under the Integration Act, immigrants shall be instructed to enrol within six months of the preparation of the integration plan in the education or other service promoting integration and employment that meets their individual needs.
Duration of integration plan
Immigrants arriving in Finland have different life circumstances and different needs, levels of competence and education and family situations. The duration and content of the integration plan is determined individually on the basis of the immigrant’s goals, educational and employment history and other competencies, and the services planned for and provided to them. No fixed formula applies to integration plans in terms of duration any more than in terms of content.
The first integration plan is drawn up for a maximum period of one year with an eye to ensuring that the plan reflects the immigrant’s service needs as well as any changes in their circumstances or needs.
As a rule, the duration of the integration plan should not exceed two years from the signing of the first plan. Time periods when implementation of the integration plan is temporarily prevented due to injury, illness or the use of days of pregnancy allowance or parental allowance or another comparable reason do not count towards the maximum duration, however. The injury or illness must be such that it in actual fact hampers participation in the measures agreed in the plan. A doctor’s note or similar explanation is also required.
Persons receiving child home care allowance or in need of specific measures
The duration of the integration plan may be extended by no more than two years in respect of immigrants in need of specific integration measures. In this case, the total duration of the integration plan may not exceed four years. The need to extend the duration of the integration plan must always be considered on a case by case basis. As a rule, the plan is not automatically extended by two years.
Immigrants in need of specific measures refers to persons who require intensified measures alongside other measures promoting integration due to diminished capacity because of illness, injury or another reason, age, family situation, illiteracy or other comparable reason. Specific measures may consist of literacy training or rehabilitation, for example.
The duration of the integration plan may also be extended for immigrants who, while receiving child home care allowance, have participated in the services agreed in the integration plan on at least a part-time basis. In such cases, it must be considered whether the extension of the plan is justified in terms of the customer’s service needs.
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Assessment of skills and the need for integration services
