Finland to receive 130 Afghan families, grant residence permits

The government on Friday decided that Afghans who have worked for Finland, the EU and NATO can be admitted to Finland with their families and will issue residence permits for them against the backdrop of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

The decision was taken in an extra-ordinary meeting on the admission of aliens into Finland on special humanitarian grounds under section 93 of the Aliens Act, said the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a press release.

In the decision, family means family members and adult unmarried children who live in the same household.

A total of 130 persons and their families can be admitted to Finland by this decision. Finland can admit Afghans who are or have been employed by the Finnish Government or who work or have worked for EU institutions or the NATO crisis management operation.

Under the decision, Finland can admit a maximum of 40 locally recruited Afghans, including their families, who are currently employed by the Embassy of Finland in Kabul.

Finland can also admit a maximum of 10 Afghans, including their families, who have earlier been employed by the Embassy in Kabul if their employment relationship was still in force on 1 January 2021.

In addition, Finland can admit a maximum of 50 locally recruited persons, including their families, who work for the Delegation for the EU in Afghanistan or for the field office of the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

Finland can also admit a maximum of 30 persons, including their families, employed by the NATO crisis management operation.

The persons who are allowed to settle in Finland will be transferred from Afghanistan to Finland on a charter flight organised by the Finnish Government.

In practice, a key trigger for the relocation would be the evacuation of the diplomatic staff of the Finnish Embassy or the temporary or permanent closure of the Embassy as the security situation deteriorates in Afghanistan.

The relocated persons will be issued a residence permit by the Finnish Immigration Service under the Aliens Act.