Govt to raise age limit for aftercare support to 25

The government has proposed that the unaccompanied minor asylum seekers would be entitled to receive support equivalent to child welfare aftercare until the age of 25, said an official press release.

The government has proposed an amendment to the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration towards this end.

The amendment would concern young people who have been granted a residence permit.

The Act includes provisions on services offered to unaccompanied minors who have been granted a residence permit.

At present, young people may be entitled to receive aftercare until they reach the age of 21.

The rationale for amending the Act is that the equivalent age limit in child welfare aftercare was raised to 25 years on 1 January 2020.

With the proposed amendment, the higher age limit would also apply to young people entering Finland in need of international protection.

The legislative amendment would enter into force as soon as possible, but at the earliest once the fourth supplementary budget for 2020 is adopted.

Municipalities are responsible for providing aftercare services to unaccompanied minors.

Every year, a few hundred unaccompanied children apply for asylum in Finland. Most of these children have come from the conflict zones in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia, and most of them are aged between 16 and 17.

However, there are children of all ages among the arrivals. Due to the increased number of asylum seekers in 2015, it is estimated that currently, there are around 2,000 such young people in Finland who would be entitled to aftercare.