The European Commission accepted the National Programme of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund on 30 March 2015. This decision also confirmed Finland's part of the funding for the period 2014-2020. The basic part of the national program is approx. 23,5 million Euros. In addition to the basic part, the decision confirmed the budget for resettlement programme for the years 2014 and 2015. The budget depends on the amount of quota refugees the member state receives. The Finnish part of the budget for 2014-2015 is 20,65 million Euros.

The National Programme defines the strategic goals of the fund for the period 2014-2020. The Finnish immigration policy is based on the government programme and on the Future of Migration 2020 Strategy. The aim of the policy is to work towards more active and proactive immigration policy with the guidelines: Finland is securely open, everyone will find his/her place and diversity is ordinary. Other central national strategies are the Government Integration Programme from June 2012, with the idea that immigrants integrate best into Finland if they know Finnish or Swedish, receive training and find work; having hobbies, being active in organisations, and, for instance, in local politics, make integration into Finnish society easier, and the Action Plan Against Illegal Immigration.

The emphasis of the Action Plan, published in October 2012, is on updating the legislation which impacts on the fight against illegal immigration and expediting the administrative processes closely linked to the fight against illegal immigration. Particular attention has been paid to expediting the enforcement of removal decisions. The Action Plan contains 21 proposed measures, responsibility for the implementation of these measures being allocated to various authorities.

The National Programme is level with the before mentioned strategies. In all the activities the international obligations for human rights are taken into account.

The Fund will bring extra value especially into strengthening the preparedness of authorities, developing cooperation between third sector and authorities and to the supporting functions for third country nationals. The Fund will also promote European cooperation with other member states and with applicable EU offices.

Read more (Finnish)

Download the document (Finnish)