The Finnish Immigration Services have reported a decrease in asylum applications for the year 2023, with 5,372 applications received, marking a 7.8% decrease from 2022. Russians did not play a significant role in this year’s application rates, unlike in 2022, when the number of asylum requests filed by this nationality was soaring due to the Russian war in Ukraine.
According to the Finnish Immigration Services, Russian citizens submitted 416 asylum applications in 2023, with the applications evenly distributed throughout the year. The largest number of applications per month was in January 2023 when Russian citizens submitted 60 asylum applications.
Despite the ongoing war in Gaza, there hasn’t yet been a significant impact on asylum requests to Finland. A total of 1,571 positive decisions were issued on asylum applications, and 1,342 quota refugees arrived in Finland.
Out of the total number of asylum applications, 23.8% of requests were registered at Finland’s eastern border in the autumn of 2023. The majority of asylum seekers at the eastern border were men between the ages of 20 and 30, as well as some underage co-applicants and unaccompanied minors, with Syria, Somalia, and Yemen being the main nationalities. Many asylum seekers arriving in Finland through the eastern border have attempted entry into the European Union via Belarus, suggesting that a considerable number of applicants are likely seeking settlement in Central Europe rather than Finland.
The impact of prolonged wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and some African countries is expected to be evident in the influx of asylum seekers. According to the Finnish Immigration Service, an estimated 3,500–4,500 new asylum applications are expected to be filed in Finland this year, as projected in December 2023. In 2024, heightened migration pressure is foreseen in the European Union area, and over time, this is expected to have a ripple effect on Finland as well. The underlying factors contributing to these projections encompass enduring conflicts, particularly in countries closely relevant to Finland, along with the strained refugee situation in transit countries. It’s crucial to note that the estimate does not account for instrumentalized migration, and authorities are prepared for such contingencies, as reflected in their contingency planning efforts.
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