Essays on immi­gration: those granted asylum

This is the sixth part of the series “Essays on immigration”. Earlier parts of the series have covered the immigration debate , the scale of immigration , family-based immigration , labour-based immigration and those who came to study . Later pieces have been published on asylum seekers and myths about immigration .

On what grounds can someone be granted asylum?

For a person to be granted asylum in Finland, they must meet one of the conditions set out in the Geneva Refugee Convention . The conditions broadly amount to the requirement that the applicant’s life or health must be at risk in their home country, for example on account of their beliefs or opinions. The same conditions apply to obtaining asylum from any other country that has signed the Convention.

The employment rate of those granted asylum is over 60%.

Are those granted asylum just a drain on public finances?

Those who have been granted asylum are often spoken of as a pure expense. In reality, their employment rate is over 60% , so this claim does not really hold up. An employment rate that high is quite an achievement for people who have moved to a completely foreign country — and generally a completely different continent. In most cases, at risk to their own lives, leaving behind their property and their loved ones. Those granted asylum are also often young, so they serve as something of a boost to our ageing population.

Quota refugees also belong to this group. They are people that the Finnish state receives from refugee camps maintained by the United Nations. They have been assessed by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, as being in the greatest need. They are, therefore, those who need help the most. Finland has previously received 750–1,500 of them per year, but the Orpo government has decided to reduce the number to 500 per year.

On the subject of quota refugees, Osmo Soininvaara has proposed that Finland could, if it wished, prioritise receiving as quota refugees those people we believe will integrate here well. These could include, for example, doctors or other highly educated professionals. At present, UNHCR determines who comes, with refugee need taking priority. While that is also important, following Soininvaara’s proposal it might be possible to receive more quota refugees here and thereby help more people.

After the Second World War, the world swore: never again.

Why does the asylum system exist?

At this point, it is perhaps worth recalling why the whole asylum system exists. Before the Second World War, many Jews sought to flee Germany but Western countries mostly refused to take them in, turning them away at their borders . Many of them did not survive the Holocaust. After that, the world swore: never again. With good reason. If you have never visited a concentration camp, I recommend it. It helps to put things in perspective.

While the refugee convention may well need updating for today’s world, we cannot change it unilaterally. And as a small country whose entire existence rests on international agreements, it is not in our interest to destabilise the international treaty system further — even if Russia does not comply with it.