Finland to tighten processing policy for refugees

Finland's policy for handling refugees arriving in the country will be tightened as the Interior Ministry now requires refugees register as asylum seekers before they can travel around, the ministry announced Saturday.

People arriving Finland through Tornio, at Finnish-Swedish border in northern Finland, will be checked at the border by the police in accordance with the Finnish Aliens Act, said the ministry.

Those having registered as asylum seekers will be settled in an emergency shelter in Tornio between Saturday and next Monday. From next Tuesday onwards, asylum applicants will be directed to a registration center at the border.

Refugees will not be allowed to continue their journey to other locations in Finland unless registered as asylum seekers.

Paivi Nerg, Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry, told Finnish national broadcaster Yle that the refugees will be considered illegal immigrants if they do not register as asylum seekers before they travel onward.

According to Finnish Immigration Service, around 11,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Finland this year. The majority of people seeking asylum in the country are arriving via Tornio, which has an open border with Sweden.

To cope with the situation, the Prime Minister's Office decided last Thursday to found dedicated registration centers for processing asylum seekers.

Interior Minister Petteri Orpo told Yle on Saturday that Finland has never faced such a situation in which hundreds of people come every day, saying Finland needs to get the situation under control.

The latest estimate made by the Interior Ministry suggested that the number of asylum seekers arriving in Finland this year could reach up to 30,000. Endit