Finland closes gold mine on refugees

The Finnish authorities have decided to reduce the infrastructure for receiving foreign citizens. The country's Migration Service (Migri) plans to close 16 institutions by the end of February 2027. Yle reports.

Both general accommodation centres and specialized shelters were affected. Eight of the facilities were intended for unaccompanied minor migrants. These institutions were located in Kuopio, Kokkola, Joensuu, Hämeenlinna and Tampere.

The reason for the collapse of the network was a sharp decline in the influx of refugees, including immigrants from Ukraine. An additional factor was the amendments to the migration legislation, which entered into force in September this year. Now the period of stay of foreigners on full state security is limited to 90 days.

Within three months, migrants are required to self-register in municipalities, find work and rent housing. The cost of rent is no longer compensated by the state.

The decision of the authorities hurt the commercial structures that worked with Migri. It turned out that Luona Oy and Kotokunta Oy earned tens of millions of euros on government contracts, having received significant profits. The reduction in the number of centers means the actual winding down of this business.

In the past, the costs of keeping refugees have caused outrage among Finnish residents. Citizens noted that living conditions in the centers exceeded the lives of many local residents, and the cost of maintaining institutions exceeded the financing of secondary education in the country.