With wars, conflicts, disease outbreaks and climate change disasters, human mobility has increased dramatically, and migration and integration have become key issues. Europe’s strategic location and higher standard of living make it an attractive continent for migration. The northern countries are at the top of the list for those seeking new opportunities or fleeing danger and seeking international protection.
Due to its geographical location, Finland receives a wide range of migrants, from refugees crossing the border with Russia or fleeing the war in Ukraine to professionals looking for work. Integration is one of the themes that Finland is focusing on at these critical moments. The Finnish Refugee Council has been consulted in an attempt to answer questions about Finnish integration strategies and recent trends.
Even before the war in Ukraine started in 2022, the Finns had started a major overhaul of the Integration Act which aims to update many aspects of integration. The law will strengthen migrants’ employment, employability skills, language skills and social inclusion. It also aims to promote equality, fairness and positive cooperation between different groups. It aims to accelerate and increase the integration and employment of migrants by improving access to guidance and counselling, speeding up the availability of services and reaching migrants more comprehensively at the early stages of their migration process and developing comprehensive services. The new law will enter into force on 1 January 2025.
Integrating immigrants into society also helps to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime and reduces the risk of crime among immigrants themselves. In this context, Finland has an effective strategy aimed at strengthening community cohesion and thereby reducing crime.
Public opinion
While the European Parliament elections showed the rise of anti-migration forces, the news from Finland was particularly encouraging, with the Left Union winning 17.3% of the vote and electing three MEPs, which came as a shock to the right-wing True Finns party now in power. The current government has implemented a wide-ranging package of legislation never before seen in Finland, which has significantly tightened restrictions on entry and residence. The Finnish Refugee Council mentions that with the change of government, people have started to show their racist views more openly. There has been a lot of discussion in Finland recently about racism and racist statements made by those in positions of power, and some Finns feel uncomfortable with these statements. Therefore, the victory of the left in the European elections is probably part of the reaction to the dissatisfaction with the current government.
While Finland’s efforts to integrate migrants are based on policies and programmes, the real indicator of success is the experience of migrants themselves. In this article, 4 refugees who arrived in Finland after 2017 share their experiences.
Refugees said that while the state provides assistance, it does not cover all needs. Despite this challenge, newcomers are provided with a year-long language course (valmistava opetus in Finnish) to prepare them for school. One girl shared that out of 45 pupils in her class, only she and her friend managed to transfer to a mainstream secondary school, mainly due to the extra effort and initiative from family members. All interviewees mentioned that the language support provided was not sufficient.
In one interview, it was mentioned that Ukrainians were exempted from language requirements when looking for work, while other refugees had to have at least a B1 level of Finnish. It was also mentioned that the overall process of obtaining a residence permit was faster for Ukrainians fleeing the war.
When talking about the difficulties they faced in integrating into Finnish society, they mentioned making new friends and the sense of community. One refugee said that for a long time the only Finnish person she knew was her teacher. She stressed that she had received different welcomes in different places in Finland, but that the best experience was when she left Finnish language school and went to secondary school. New classmates and friends created a sense of security and were ready to help when she needed it.
In Finland, public opinion of refugees seems to vary, mostly depending on the city and the number of immigrants in the area. In big cities, where there are more refugees, people tend to be more welcoming, while in smaller towns there is a lack of openness.
However, the integration of migrants poses challenges due to the need to take into account the diverse needs of new arrivals. Finland’s long experience of migration has developed a more sophisticated and humane approach to integration, especially with the forthcoming Integration Act, which aims to fill gaps in the availability of services and the overall integration process. However, even in a country with such progressive policies, there is still a lack of a more welcoming attitude and community spirit towards migrants.
Photo: Pexels I Paul Theodor Oja
List of References
- “Immigrants as Crime Victims and Offenders in Finland | European Website on
Integration.” 2024. Migrant-Integration.ec.europa.eu. March 6, 2024. https://migrantintegration.ec.europa.eu/library-document/immigrants-crime-victims-and-offendersfinland_en
