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18 January 2019

Finnish Parliament Audit Committee Report on the Functionality of Integration

Title

This report by the Audit Committee of the Finnish Parliament will be delivered to the Parliament, which may take action based on the report. The report suggests that the government take the following actions with respect to integration policy:

Legislation and policy

  • Draw up a comprehensive action programme on the need to reform integration measures and the reforms to be implemented. The action programme should be submitted to Parliament by the end of 2020.
  • Reform the Integration Act in its entirety and report on other necessary legislation based on parliamentary proceedings.
  • Accelerate integration, so that the integration period is generally defined as one year. Activities must be stepped up at all stages following arrival.

Services

  • In order to improve and speed up integration, transfer overall responsibility for integration services to municipalities and identify ways to provide adequate integration services outside of growth centres.
  • Ensure improvement in the functioning of services and structures supporting the employment of immigrants to meet the needs of companies that employ them.
  • Accelerate the processing time for applications for residence permits.

Language and training

  • Reorganise the language studies in integration education in order to safeguard the quality of teaching and to improve learning outcomes, in line with learning objectives and language skills for employment.
  • Increase the binding nature of language training in the integration plan of immigrants granted residence permits, so that language training includes a language proficiency test.
  • Increase the compulsory nature of the study activities included in the reception services of asylum seekers. An asylum seeker should be required to know the working methods, rules, and values of Finnish society, which can be confirmed though testing.

Other

  • Take immediate action to promote the employment of women with immigrant backgrounds. They should be placed as a special target group for integration services.
  • Increase the presence of the third sector (i.e. NGOs and civil society) in integration and take steps to redefine the division of labour between authorities and the third sector.
Audit Committee Report
English
(664.13 KB - PDF)
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Details

Authors
Audit Committee of the Parliament of Finland
Geographic area
Finland
Contributor type
National governmental actor
Original source
Posted by
Markku Mattila
Country Coordinator

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