The Finnish Ministry of the Interior has issued a new regulation on assistance for the voluntary return of refugees to their home country. The payment of the allowance stipulated in the document is part of a package of voluntary return and departure measures included in a government program, the ministry’s press office said.
“The new regulation will replace the previous one, which expires at the end of 2023. The new regulation implements the commitment of the government program to provide a voluntary return subsidy to encourage early departure from the country and the abandonment of asylum appeals. The aim was also set to harmonize the size of the grant at the level of comparator countries,” the statement reads.
According to the new regulation, the amount of the voluntary return grant will be EUR5300 if the application is submitted within 30 days after notification of the first negative asylum decision or withdrawal of the application. If the application is submitted after 30 days, the grant will be reduced to EUR2000. The possibility of a higher grant is a one-off payment.
“The new regulation has simplified the scheme for voluntary return grants. In the annex to the previous regulation, grants were divided into four categories of countries. The new regulation abolishes this grouping and makes the grant amount the same for all, regardless of the country,” the statement said.
Voluntary return assistance can be in the form of financial support for travel and reintegration or in the form of a grant. An in-kind allowance is a service or equipment that allows the returnee to, for example, receive training or start a small business.
Assisted voluntary return is regulated by the Law on the Admission of Applicants for International Protection and the Law on Identification and Assistance to Victims of Trafficking. Assistance is granted if the applicant has received a negative decision or has withdrawn his or her application for international protection.
The assistance is not granted if the applicant moves to another EU or Schengen country or to a country whose citizens do not require a visa to Finland.
According to media reports, more than 53,000 refugees from Ukraine were granted temporary protection status in Finland by the end of this summer.
return of refugees to their home country, The Finnish Ministry of the Interior
