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Finland continues current policy for asylum seekers

Xinhua, January 18, 2017 Adjust font size:

Finland on Tuesday published a new review of security situation in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia, and said it would not change the current policy of processing asylum applications.

According to the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), the biggest change occurs in the Iraqi city of Mosul, where the Iraqi army and its allies have launched a joint offensive to recapture the city from the Islamic State since autumn 2016.

Migri said no negative decisions were made and no asylum seekers were returned to Mosul.

There has not been any significant changes in the overall situation in Afghanistan and Somalia since spring 2016, said Migri.

Migri said the Administrative Court of Helsinki ruled that asylum seekers could not be returned to some provinces of Afghanistan, and it asked the court to reassess the cases.

Concerning southern and central areas of Somalia, the court asked Migri to closely monitor the situation and review possibility for asylum seekers to return.

More than 32,500 asylum seekers arrived in Finland during the refugee crisis in 2015. A total of 5,657 persons had applied for asylum in the country in 2016.

By October last year, Migri said there were still some 22,000 asylum seekers waiting for decisions. Enditem