Essays on immi­gration: on asylum seekers

This is the seventh 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 , those who came to study and those granted asylum . A later piece on myths about immigration has also been published.

Asylum seekers do not live lavishly at taxpayers’ expense — support amounts to less than €300 per month, and everyone has a legal right to apply for asylum regardless of their appearance.

How does the asylum process work?

As I wrote earlier , the asylum system is largely based on how badly Jews fleeing Germany were treated before the Second World War. That is why the foundation of the system is that anyone has the right to apply for asylum. And the principle is that asylum may not be refused until it has been verified that the applicant does not face death or another serious threat to their health in their home country. When processing applications, we are therefore literally dealing with matters of life and death.

The absolute prohibition on refoulement means that no one may be returned to their home country if there is a possibility that their life would be in danger there.

Processing asylum applications is therefore extremely demanding work. It is an appealable process in which the truthfulness of the applicant’s account must be verified from extremely varied sources. Processing applications is not based on the feelings of the caseworker, or of anyone else, or on the applicant’s external appearance. That is why it is also, regrettably, often slow. Admittedly, it does not help that this is an area where governments that are particularly critical of immigration tend to make cuts.

If an asylum application is approved, the applicant receives a residence permit in Finland. If the application is rejected, the applicant is deported. There is, however, one problem with the system here. If the applicant’s home country does not wish to take them back, what can we do? There is no place where unwanted people can simply be dumped. I believe a realistic answer to that problem would be welcome in every Western country.

The need for asylum cannot be deduced from a person’s appearance.

What support do asylum seekers receive?

There are also many different claims relating to the benefits paid to asylum seekers. In reality, the support works as follows: an applicant receives less than €100 per month if they receive meals at the reception centre; otherwise they receive at most €300 per month . Anyone who has done grocery shopping in recent years will know that it is not possible to live lavishly on such sums. If the applicant is granted asylum, they move into the normal Finnish social security system, and are also offered integration services — for good reason.

Similarly, the need for asylum is sometimes questioned on the basis of appearance. It is important to remember, however, that a threat to life or health is not visible from the outside. In some countries, sexuality, political ideology or religion can be sufficient grounds. None of these are visible externally in any way. Do not, therefore, judge by appearances.

Applying for asylum cannot be prohibited.

Is an asylum seeker in the country illegally?

No asylum seeker is an illegal entrant, an infiltrator or anything of the sort. All people in the world have an equal right to apply for asylum, regardless of whether they actually need it. And applying for asylum — and entering a country for the purpose of making such an application — is never illegal. Not even when Russia is the one who transported the applicant to the border.