The validity periods of international protection permits will be shortened and protection becomes temporary

Moving forward, asylum and the extended permit issued on the basis of refugee status will be granted for three years instead of the previous four years. The first permit on the basis of subsidiary protection is issued for one year and the extended permit on the basis of secondary protection is issued for two years instead of the previous four years. 

Temporary protection status aims to promote controlled migration

The transition to temporary protection means that the Finnish Immigration Service will assess the need for continued international protection more frequently than before. The aim is to grant international protection only for the time the customer needs it.

"The need for continued protection is influenced by factors such as the safety situation in the customer’s home country and the customer’s possible travel there. The duration of international protection permits will be reduced to the minimum permitted by EU law. The aim of the changes is to remove the protection status more effectively from persons who no longer need it. Crimes committed in Finland will also have a greater impact than before on the granting and ending of international protection," says Tommi Vallin, Process Owner for Extended and Permanent Residence Permits for International Protection.

The legislative amendment also adds new grounds for refusal to grant international protection and for ending protection. Moving forward, asylum will not be granted or will be ended if the person is considered to be a danger to society because they have been convicted of a particularly aggravated crime. Subsidiary protection status is not granted or is ended when there is reason to assume that the person is a threat to society or national security, or when the person commits a serious crime after receiving the status, for example. 

"Protective status may be ended on the basis of criminal activity if the person has committed an offence after the Act entered into force on 2 January 2025. There is no similar restriction in the case of termination based on national security," says Mikko Keski-Nirva, Process Owner for Ending and Cancellation of Protection Status.  

If a person who has lost their protection status cannot be removed from the country due to non-refoulement, they will be granted a temporary residence permit for one year at a time.

Further information for the media

• website address: Asylum in Finland | Finnish Immigration Service
• website address: Subsidiary protection | Finnish Immigration Service
• website address: Ending of refugee status and subsidiary protection | Finnish Immigration Service