Helsinki, April 18, 2024 (AFP)
Finland's right-wing coalition government on Thursday announced several amendments aimed at tightening immigration laws, including new border procedures and stricter conditions for asylum seekers.
One of the central aims of the conservative government elected last year has been to tighten the country's asylum policy.
Led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, the government has said it wants to reform immigration laws to match those of its Nordic neighbours.
"The proposed amendments to the laws contribute to the government's objective of increasing security, preventing immigration-related abuses and strengthening adherence to the rules of society," Interior Minister Mari Rantanen told a press conference.
The government plans a new border procedure for asylum seekers to "enhance the examination of unfounded applications and the return of applicants whose application has been rejected", the government said in a statement.
Consequently, an asylum seeker would have to "stay at or near the border during the processing of the application", thus limiting their right to move around within Finland while their cases are being processed.
According to Rantanen, these changes would "intensify and accelerate" the asylum procedure, with the aim of "speeding up the return of persons considered a threat to national security."
- Citizenship reform -
Changes in the procedure for citizenship applications were also presented, including the required length of residence in Finland from the current five years to eight years in order to qualify.
In addition, the government announced amendments to "prohibit asylum applicants from switching to a work-based or education-based application procedure in order to apply for a residence permit".
Rantanen said that additional legal amendments targeting immigration were to be expected after the summer.
Meanwhile, Finland's government has said it is preparing a bill which would enable it "to restrict the reception of applications for international protection" in response to a surge in migrant crossings on its eastern border.
The Nordic country closed its eastern border in mid-December after nearly 1,000 migrants had arrived without a visa through its border crossings with Russia since August.
The two neighbours share a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border, and Helsinki says the surge in asylum seekers has been orchestrated by Russia, a charge that Moscow has denied.
Finland extended the closure several times before prolonging it "until further notice" in early April.
Following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, relations between the nations soured and Finland dropped decades of military non-alignment to join

NATO

.

Sumber : AFP