Reports indicate that Finland has abandoned plans to decrease its intake of asylum seekers from Muslim-majority nations.
Finnish media outlets reported this week that the country has reversed a decision to lower its refugee quota for Muslim-majority countries, opting instead for a focus on Christian-majority nations. This information comes from a statement released by the Interior Ministry.
Finland contributes to the UNHCR’s resettlement program with an annual quota.
A Thursday press release stated that the government will accept 500 asylum seekers next year, maintaining the 2024 distribution of origin countries and refugee groups.
The document details that the quota includes 150 Afghan refugees from Iran, 120 Congolese from Rwanda, 100 Syrians from Türkiye, and 50 Venezuelans from Peru.
Furthermore, Finland will welcome 30 refugees transferred from Libya to Rwanda and 50 individuals requiring emergency evacuation, regardless of nationality or region.
“The selection of quota refugees prioritizes the most vulnerable groups,” the statement noted.
According to broadcaster Yle, this decision marks a policy shift. Earlier reports in Finnish media indicated that Interior Minister Mari Rantanen and acting Interior Minister Lulu Ranne had instructed officials to prepare for increasing the quota for Christian-majority nations.
These reports prompted Finland’s Non-Discrimination Ombudsman to issue a warning, suggesting such a move would likely be deemed religiously discriminatory.
Rantanen refuted these reports, telling Helsingin Sanomat last week that the decision “has nothing to do with religion,” but rather focuses on “vulnerable people, all possessing refugee status.”
Official statistics show that Finland has received 1,500–6,000 asylum seekers annually since 2000, excluding 2015’s record of 32,476 arrivals during the refugee crisis. Since then, numbers have reportedly stabilized, with an increase in 2022 due to the Ukraine conflict.
In December 2023, the Finnish Interior Ministry launched a “voluntary return assistance” program offering substantial financial incentives to rejected asylum seekers who agree to return home.