1. IMMIGRANTS AND ESF IN FINLAND
Sirpa Liljeström
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
ESF Committee
Brussels

2. Immigration and Integration Authorities
* Overall immigration policy
* Legislation on entry & exit
* Residence of foreigners
* International protection
* Resettlement program
Legislation: Aliens’ Act (2003) and
Act on the Reception of Persons
Seeking International Protection (2011)
Integration policy
Employment services
Coordination of integration measures
Municipality placement
Guidance of ELY Centres
Legislation: Act on Integration (2010)
ELY CENTRES
Regional agencies
MIGRI Finnish Immigration Service
Reception Centres
Employment
Offices

3. Number of Asylum Seekers in Finland 2010 – 11.9.2016
Estimation: *

4. Top five nationalities among asylum seekers in 2015

5. After the Asylym Process
Increase of asylum seekers challenges our integration processes and system to direct refugees to the municipalities
→ Around municipality places for refugees needed
→ 60 % increase in demand of integration services in local level
→ Competence and sufficiency of the staff
→ Housing!!!
→ Sufficiency of integration training; paths to education and employment
Frustration, segration, homelessness, exclusion, radicalization,
terrorism, lack of skills, racism, violence, ethnic confilicts, poverty, discrimination
Investing in integration is worth doing and pays back!

6. Integration Services and Guidance
Bringing services where the clients are
Work-based integration training, More on-the-job-training/ internship programs, Language training at work place
Individual guidance in searching jobs
Mentoring; support from the civil society
Piloting new models of employment, strengthening the partnership with labour market parties

7. Government integration programme outlines areas of focus for integration in the coming years
1. Using immigrants' cultural strengths to enhance Finnish innovation capacity
Utilise the knowledge and skills of trained immigrants and to promote career advancement in Finnish labour market, business growth, and internationalisation.
2. Enhancing integration through cross-sectoral measures
Equip people with the required resources for continued training and working life. Ensure the provision of multi-professional support. Support immigrants’ participation in leisure activities.

8. Government integration programme outlines areas of focus for integration in the coming years
3. Increasing cooperation between the State and municipalities in the reception of beneficiaries of international protection
Placement into municipalities of quota refugees and asylum seekers that have received a residence permit takes place within two months of notification of the granting of the residence permit, and that the integration process begins immediately.
4. Promoting a humane national discussion culture that will not tolerate racism
Discussion about immigration be carried out openly and in a manner that respects human dignity. Official forums for dialogue between authorities and immigrants.

9. Examples of tools to help the work…..

10. MAP of different stakeholders working with immigrants in Finland

11. information about Finland
Examples of links to material which can be used free of charge to study Finnish and acquire
information about Finland
Finnish language
(36 different languages)
(links to different pages)
(Finnish language test – different levels in 25 languages)
(Finnish-English/German/French/Russian)
(Finnish-Finnish)
(material for volunteers)
Information about Finland
Basic information about Finland (Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian, Estonian, French, Spanish, Thai, Chinese, Arabic,
Persian, Somali)
Finland in your language
Finland på ditt språk, Finland in your language, Финляндия на твоём языке (venäjä), Soome sinu keeles (eesti),
La Finlande dans votre langue (ranska), Finland oo ku qoran luqadaada (somali), Finlandia en tu idioma (espanja),
Sizin dilinizde Finlandiya (turkki), 用中文介绍芬兰 (kiina), فنلاند به زبان شما (persia), فنلندا بلغتك (arabia)
Guide for employees and entrepreneurs interested in Finland
Jobba I Finland, Work in Finland, Soome tööle, Para trabajar en Finlandia, Co pracy w Finlandii,
На работу в Финляндию
Basic information about living in Finland (Finnish, English, French, Arabic, Farsi)

13. cont…..

14. Of all these EU-instruments the ESF is the most important one so far
By over 80 ESF-projects supporting integration of immigrants, public funding 40,3 mio € (11 % of all ESF projects) of which
Employment 25,7 mio €
Skills 6,9 mio €
Inclusion 7,7 mio €
3 700 participants with immigrant, foreign or minority background
ESF rules and indicators !

15. Approximate location of ESF projects supporting immigrants in Finland

16. Examples of ESF Projects:
The food recycling center and waste food restaurant provide meaningful jobs for its participants.
Important contribution into reducing food waste and mitigating climate change.
Six different nationalities. People far away from the labour market
For each participant a personal development and training plan, which aims to finding them their path in the working life. Tasks can be assigned according to their own interests : courier and restaurant services, office work (such as accounting, cash management and IT tasks)
Training: hygiene passport course, CV course and language training.
The work can be organized with a pair work technique.

18. List of ESF projects which support integration of immigrants in Finland can be found at

19. Examples of COORDINATION NETWORKS
Ministerial working group on migration
Handles issues related to compiling and maintaining situational awareness on matters related to asylum seekers and those related to monitoring integration. 9 ministers:
Minister of the Interior, Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, Minister of Local Government and Public Reforms, Minister of Transport and Communications, Minister of Economic Affairs, Minister of Social Affairs and Health, Minister of Justice and Employment 
Co-operation group on integration
Promotes co-operation and coordinates integration measures
Representatives of 9 ministries: Economic Affairs and Employment, Interior, Justice, Foreign Affairs, Education and Culture, Environment, Finance, Social Affairs and Health, Agriculture and Forestry
3 ministries (Interior, Econ&Empl, Agri) , 4 regional IBs, Association of Finnish Local and Regional authorities, Red Cross, RAY…
Work on the ground:
Regional IBs etc. Contact points for immigration issues
1+1 >2

20. Some things to think about:
Idleness of the asylum seekers in the reception centers
– how to support their own eagerness
Examples of politicians….
...and citizens
Voluntary work is important in Finland –
building bridges, offering leisure acitivities
Immigrants to help asylum seekers
and other immigrants We need companies to employ
asylum seekers and refugees
Information on our society
to avoid misunderstandigs

21. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION