Frontpage > About us > Immigration issues in Finland

Immigration issues in Finland

When a foreigner wants to enter and reside in Finland, he or she may have to deal with several different authorities. Many other authorities in addition to the Finnish Immigration Service handle issues connected to immigration.

The most important partners in immigration issues are

• Ministry of the Interior as well as the police, border guard authorities, reception centres for asylum seekers and the Ombudsman for Minorities, which are subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior
• Ministry for Foreign Affairs as well as Finnish diplomatic missions abroad, which are subordinate to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
• Ministry of Employment and the Economy as well as Employment and Economic Development Offices and Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, which are subordinate to the Ministry of Employment and the Economy
• Ministry of Education as well as The Finnish National Board of Education and Centre for International Mobility CIMO, which are subordinate to the Ministry of Education
• Ministry of Justice as well as Administrative Courts and the Supreme Administrative Court as appellate authorities, which are subordinate to the Ministry of Justice

The table below provides a general view of the most central matters concerning immigration and the authorities that manage and make decisions on these matters.

Immigration Issues in Finland
Issues	Authorities in charge
Immigration policy, focus points	Immigration policy is directed by the Minister of Migration and European Affairs in accordance with government policy
Immigration administration and policy	Ministry of the Interior
Development of immigration legislation	Ministry of the Interior
Performance management of the Finnish Immigration Service	Ministry of the Interior
Visa	Diplomatic missions
Residence permit for a family member of a Finnish citizen in Finland	Police
Residence permit for a family member of a foreigner living in Finland	Finnish Immigration Service
Residence permit for EU/EEA citizen	Police
Residence permit for an employed person	Consideration of workforce needs: Employment and Economic Development Office Other conditions: Finnish Immigration Service
Residence permit for a self-employed person	Prerequisites for self-employment: Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment Other prerequisites: Finnish Immigration Service
Asylum Residence permit on the basis of subsidiary protection or humanitarian protection	Asylum interview and decision: Finnish Immigration Service Management and planning of reception of refugees: Finnish Immigration Service Establishment and closure of reception centres: Ministry of the Interior
Extension of residence permit	Police, in special cases Finnish Immigration Service
Refusal of entry	Frontier Guard, Police, Finnish Immigration Service
Deportation	Recommendation: Police, Frontier Guard Decision: Finnish Immigration Service Implementation: Police
Finnish citizenship upon application or by declaration	Finnish Immigration Service
Appeals	Administrative courts (asylum matters: Helsinki Administrative Court) Supreme Administrative Court
Integration into society	Ministry of the Interior
Educational and cultural services	Ministry of Education and  National Board of Education

Printable version