Govt estimates influx of up to 80,000 Ukrainian refugees this year

About 29,000 people who have fled the war in Ukraine have already applied for temporary protection in Finland and the Ministry of the Interior estimates that 40,000–80,000 Ukrainian refugees will arrive in Finland by the end of this year, said an official press release on Friday.

Meanwhile, the government is preparing amendments to the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration so that municipalities and wellbeing services counties would be reimbursed for the costs they incur for organising services to beneficiaries of temporary protection who have been granted a municipality of residence, said the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

Due to the war in Ukraine, Finland is applying the temporary protection regime for the first time. The government therefore proposes to amend the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration (Integration Act).

Because those receiving temporary protection usually do not have a municipality of residence, they are mostly covered by reception services.

However, they may be granted a municipality of residence in spring 2023 after they have resided in Finland for one year.

At that point, the role of municipalities and other authorities in organising the services will increase. The current Integration Act does not allow the State to compensate municipalities and wellbeing services counties for services provided to beneficiaries of temporary protection.

In order to ensure the provision of services, it is proposed that the State compensate municipalities and wellbeing services counties for the provision of services for beneficiaries of temporary protection in the same way it compensates for services for beneficiaries of international protection.

It is also proposed that the provisions on assigning persons to municipalities would apply to those receiving temporary protection too.

The proposal would also clarify the responsibilities of authorities for assigning persons to municipalities and amend the Act to better meet the current practice concerning the process of assigning persons to municipalities.

The government proposes that a child or young person who has arrived in Finland without a parent or guardian and who is a beneficiary of temporary protection receive housing and support services, similarly to a quota refugee who has arrived as an unaccompanied minor or a child or young person receiving international protection and that these costs would be reimbursed to the municipality and the wellbeing services county.