Finland saw significantly fewer asylum applications in 2024, according to figures from the Immigration Service (Migri) released on Thursday.
"The number of asylum applications has stayed moderate despite conflicts and crises, and nearly halved compared to the previous year," said Migri Director Ilkka Haahtela in a statement.
"The situation in the Middle East is not evident in the number of asylum applications in Finland," he added.
Overall, some 12,600 applications for temporary protection, a different category to asylum, were lodged in 2024. The largest group of new arrivals in Finland is still those coming from Ukraine.
Asylum application numbers collapse
The number of asylum applications was 45 percent smaller than in 2023, according to Migri. Last year there were fewer than 3,000 asylum applications, compared to more than 5,300 the year before.
Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Nigeria were the biggest sources of asylum seekers.
The high number for 2023 was at least partly down to instrumentalised migration instigated by Russia. That led to some 1,300 people seeking asylum in Finland during 2023 and 2024.
Moving for work, study or family ties were still popular options last year, according to Migri. Even though there was a record number of applications last year, Migri actually granted fewer approvals than in 2023.
The number of students applying for first-time residence permits hit 14,163, a new record.
Drop in work-based migration
Work-based residence permit applications dropped by about 12 percent last year compared to 2023.
Some 15,000 people applied for their first residence permit based on work (as opposed to extensions), which was a clear increase on the figures shown before the Covid pandemic.
Migri says the number of applications fell due to the economic situation in Finland, poor employment prospects and Russia's assault on Ukraine.
By citizenship, people from Thailand, the Philippines, India, China and Vietnam are the largest groups making work-based immigration applications.
More than 196,000 applications
In all, more than 196,000 applications on different grounds were made in 2024, and the agency made some 188,500 decisions. The number of positive decisions fell slightly.
In 2024 some 84 percent of decisions were positive, with seven percent negative. Nine percent were withdrawn by applicants or otherwise cancelled because the applicant secured a different type of permit.
EDIT 31.1.2025 Edited to explain the nine percent of decisions that were neither positive nor negative.
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