Migri gets ready to receive minor refugees from Mediterranean

The government on Monday decided that Finland would receive 175 vulnerable asylum seekers from the Mediterranean region.

Finland will primarily receive children without a guardian and single-parent families, said the Finnish Immigration Services (Migri) in a press release on Monday.

The Migri is expanding the current reception centres for children without a guardian. In addition, a new group home will be established.

All in all, new places will be established for approximately one hundred asylum seekers who are minors, because the relocations from the Mediterranean region will start during the summer.

The location of the new group home has not been decided yet. The accommodation capacity of the current reception centres in different parts of Finland will be increased.

The total accommodation capacity for minors will be doubled. At the moment, there are five housing units for minors with a total of 90 places.

Unaccompanied minor asylum seekers coming to Finland usually live in group homes intended for minors or in supported housing units. In the units, children and adolescents will have access to support services and any other treatment services they need.

The aim is to carry out the first relocations from the Mediterranean countries most likely in May-June. All of the asylum seekers will not arrive in Finland at the same time. It is estimated that it will take a few months to arrange the relocations.

Most of the children without guardians will be received from refugee camps in Greece, where the refugee situation is acute. Relocations may also take place from Cyprus, Malta, and Italy.

“The Finnish Immigration Service is well prepared to take in the asylum seekers from the Mediterranean region. In previous years, we have worked together with Greek and Italian authorities to arrange internal relocations,” said Migri Internal Relocation Coordinator Monna Airiainen.

The coronavirus situation will be taken into account in arranging the relocations. Before the relocation and after arrival in Finland, everyone will be given a health examination that includes coronavirus testing. During the epidemic, special attention will be paid to the symptoms of coronavirus in the examinations.

Before they are moved to the reception centres, minors will also be quarantined for 14 days. The quarantine will be implemented in conditions similar to an ordinary group home.