Finland moves to tighten immigration rules amid growing political pressure

Finland’s ruling National Coalition Party (NCP) is drafting a new policy programme that would significantly tighten the Nordic country’s immigration laws, with proposed changes targeting work-based immigration, family reunification and asylum seekers.

The NCP, led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, wants stricter requirements for people seeking residence permits in Finland. Party member Atte Kaleva, who is leading the preparation of the programme, told Finnish broadcaster Yle that Finland should take a more selective approach to granting residence permits.

"Economically burdensome immigration should be minimized, and immigration that benefits the national economy should be strengthened and encouraged," Kaleva said.

He added that the NCP’s basic principle was that immigrants should have employment when they arrive in Finland and remain in work throughout their time in the country.

Alongside employment-based immigration, the NCP wants to tighten rules governing family reunification.

Family reunification allows people legally residing in Finland to apply for residence permits for family members seeking to join them.

Under current Finnish legislation, applicants are generally required to demonstrate that they can financially support the family members they wish to bring to the country.

The NCP is considering further restrictions as part of its broader effort to prioritize immigration that it considers economically beneficial.

Humanitarian immigration will be another focus of the party’s proposals. This includes granting international protection to asylum seekers and admitting people to Finland as quota refugees.

Kaleva argued that Finland’s current system for humanitarian immigration is vulnerable to hybrid influence tactics by hostile states.

He pointed to suspicions in late 2023 that Russia was directing large groups of migrants towards Finnish border crossings in the east in an attempt to put pressure on Finnish authorities.

"The asylum-seeking channel no longer serves the purpose for which it was created. The core idea of the National Coalition Party's immigration paper is to shift to immigration through employment," Kaleva said.

The programme is expected to be completed in early September and will help shape the NCP’s policies ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.

Opposition joins calls for tougher integration rules

The NCP’s proposals come shortly after Finland’s main opposition party, the Social Democrats (SDP), also called for a tougher approach to integration and segregation.

In a policy paper published last week, the SDP said immigrants should commit to "the core values and norms of Finnish society" and abandon "incompatible practices from their countries of origin".

The growing political focus on immigration comes despite net migration to Finland has fallen significantly from its peak in 2023, amid tighter legislation and a weaker Finnish economy.

Foreign-born and non-EU nationals currently account for roughly 9%-10% of Finland’s population, a considerably lower share than in major Western European countries such as Germany and France.

By Nazrin Sadigova