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According to international agreements, every person has the right to apply for asylum. Asylum seekers enter the country independently and inform the border control authority or the police that they are seeking asylum.

Some of the children and young people seeking asylum arrive in Finland unaccompanied by a custodian. Unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in Finland are placed in group homes or supported housing units for the duration of the asylum application process.

12.6.2026 | The EU's new Pact on Migration and Asylum will enter into force in all EU Member States on 12 June 2026. Amendments to the Aliens Act and the Reception Act will enter into force at the same time.

Many people want to be voluntarily involved in supporting and helping asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants so that they can integrate into the new environment.

Refugees flee persecution and conflict According to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, there were more than 120 million people in the world in May 2024 who had had to flee from persecution and conflict. According to the UNHCR, a significant proportion o...

Finland supports the realisation of human rights by hosting refugees The purpose of a humanitarian immigration policy is to provide protection for those who have been forced to leave their country of origin as a result of persecution or violent co...

The handbook on psychosocial support for unaccompanied minors in family group homes and support housing units is intended for persons working with unaccompanied minors in family group homes and support housing units.

The Finnish Immigration Service provides services related to residence in Finland and Finnish citizenship The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) is responsible for the granting of residence permits, residence rights and citizenships to people who...

Online training is a new integration tool providing an easy way to learn more about promoting immigrant integration and the reception of refugees.

Promotion of integration in figures Immigration of foreign citizens in 2022 • A total of 42,470 foreign citizens moved to Finland (Statistics Finland). • Work was the most common reason for the first residence permit (Finnish Immigration Service)....

The agreements made on municipal placements help refugees to have a managed transition to municipalities and a smoother start to integration.

Services provided by other authorities also promote integration The services provided by many other authorities also promote integration in Finland, and immigrants who have a municipality of residence and have been granted a residence permit can r...

When an unaccompanied minor or young person seeking asylum is separated from their family, relatives or other network, they will need a wide range of support in their new country of residence. In order for a child or young person living in a family group home to access services, close cooperation between the family group home, the municipality's social welfare and health services, educational services and, if necessary, child welfare authorities are required.

Social welfare and health care services The Act on the promotion of immigrant integration was amended on 1.1.2025. Unfortunately, this website has not yet been updated to comply with the new integration Act (681/2023). We apologise for the inconve...

Information for those who are representing an unaccompanied minor The minor’s representative ensures that the child’s rights are realised in the asylum process. The representative helps and supports the underaged asylum seeker and exercises the ri...

The Centre of Expertise in Immigrant Integration has worked to develop the recognition, introduction and mainstreaming of good practices promoting immigrant integration. The Nordic Welfare Centre collects good integration practices from different Nordic countries.

Family is an important resource in integration The population with an immigrant background is young. Many of them are at the age of starting families. More than one in five of all those with a foreign background are minors and over 12 per cent of ...

Information for those who work with refugees The reasons behind becoming a refugee may be diverse, and people moving to a country as refugees may need different support depending on their situation. The person’s possible trauma and different level...

Integration and reception of refugees Integration is an individual process for an immigrant that takes place in interaction with society and, during which, the immigrant’s participation, equality and non-discrimination in society increase. Success...

Other Finnish authorities include Kela, The Finnish Immigration Service, Police and many other authorities.