Finland to introduce procedure to handle asylum plea near border

The Finnish government on Thursday decided to introduce a border procedure with the provision for allowing asylum applications to be processed near the border, said Ministry of the Interior in a press release.

The necessary amendments to the law in this regard, is scheduled to be approved by the President on Friday and the Act will enter into force on September 1, 2024.

Under the new procedure asylum application submitted by persons who have already arrived in the country to be processed near the border, if certain preconditions are met.

These are different provisions from the border security act that is currently being discussed by the Parliament.

The purpose of the border procedure is to enhance the examination of unfounded applications and the return of applicants whose application has been rejected.

In addition, this will prevent secondary movements of asylum seekers to other EU countries. The border procedure is used in all migration situations.

The border procedure can be applied to asylum applications that are lodged at or in the vicinity of the EU external border and that are likely to be unfounded.

In addition to the eastern border, Finland's external borders include international airports.

In a normal asylum procedure, asylum seekers have the right to move freely within Finland.

In the border procedure, applicants must stay at or near the border during the processing of the application. In practice, asylum seekers must stay on the grounds of the reception centre assigned to them.

The legislative amendments will also enable faster removal from the country. The accelerated procedure means that rejected asylum applicants can be returned more swiftly than in the normal asylum procedure.

The aim is to speed up, for example, the return of persons considered a threat to national security and the removal from the country of applicants who have submitted a subsequent application.