#governments #bill #introduction #border #procedure #submitted #Riksdag
The government’s bill concerning the introduction of a border procedure was submitted to the Riksdag on 18 April. The Aliens Act is amended in accordance with the EU’s directive on asylum procedures through which a border procedure is introduced in Finland. The purpose of the border procedure is to streamline the examination of unfounded applications and the return of applicants whose application is rejected. In addition, secondary movements of asylum seekers to other EU countries are prevented.
The border procedure can be applied to asylum applications that are submitted at or near the EU’s external border and that are deemed likely to be unfounded. In addition to the eastern border, for example, international airports are external borders in Finland.
During normal processing of asylum cases, applicants have the opportunity to move freely in Finland. In the border procedure, they must stay at or near the border during the processing of the application. In practice, the applicant must stay in the area of the facility assigned to the applicant.
The border procedure can be applied in all migration situations
According to the government bill, the border procedure can be applied in all migration situations, not only in the case of large-scale refugee immigration or instrumentalized entry. Depending on the situation, the border procedure can be a tool for processing unfounded applications also in situations of instrumentalized entry when the applicants are on the Finnish side and seek international protection. Although the border procedure provides additional tools to deal with the situation, it does not solve the situation of instrumentalized entry at Finland’s eastern border.
Through an accelerated procedure, those who have been rejected can be sent back more quickly
The intention is also to revise the Aliens Act’s provisions on accelerated asylum procedures. The Aliens Act incorporates the grounds for accelerated procedure according to the procedure directive that have not yet been incorporated into the law.
An accelerated procedure means that an applicant whose application has been rejected can be sent back faster than in the case of the normal asylum procedure. The intention is to speed up the return of, for example, persons who are considered to pose a threat to national security. In addition, the intention is to speed up the removal from the country of applicants who have submitted a new application.
The proposed laws are intended to come into force as soon as possible.
More information:
Eeva-Maija Leivospecialist, tel. 0295 488 316, fö[email protected]
True Montinleading expert, tel. 0295 488 314, fö[email protected]
