Finland’s Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that the upswing in asylum claims seen after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now decisively reversed. According to data cited by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), just 1,504 first-time asylum applications were lodged in Finland between January and September 2025, down 16 percent on the same period in 2024.
The decline mirrors a wider European trend: EU-wide figures for the first half of 2025 show roughly 399,000 applications, 23 percent fewer than the previous year. Officials attribute the cooling numbers to tighter Schengen external-border controls, stepped-up cooperation with transit states such as Türkiye and Tunisia, and national restrictions such as Finland’s ongoing closure of all eight land border crossings with Russia.
Johannes Hirvelä, Migri’s Director of Development, told reporters that Finland’s geographic location continues to dampen irregular flows, but warned that reduced pressure at official crossing points could push more people toward clandestine routes, raising the risk of trafficking and maritime tragedies.
![Finland and EU See Marked Drop in Asylum Applications]()
The fall in applications offers breathing room for Migri, which has been under political pressure to accelerate returns of rejected applicants and reduce reception-centre costs. Nonetheless, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen emphasised that “instrumentalised migration” remains a strategic threat and called on the EU to strengthen joint border forces and fast-track negotiations on the Union’s new Asylum and Migration Pact.
For employers, the easing of asylum numbers may free up administrative bandwidth for work-permit processing, but lawyers caution that the government’s tougher stance on removals and detention—formalised in May 2025 amendments to the Aliens Act—means compliance risks for companies whose foreign hires lose legal status.
Businesses sending staff to Finland should therefore monitor the evolving enforcement climate, ensure all travel documentation is in order, and be prepared for spot checks near the eastern border, where police and border-guard patrols have increased.
The decline mirrors a wider European trend: EU-wide figures for the first half of 2025 show roughly 399,000 applications, 23 percent fewer than the previous year. Officials attribute the cooling numbers to tighter Schengen external-border controls, stepped-up cooperation with transit states such as Türkiye and Tunisia, and national restrictions such as Finland’s ongoing closure of all eight land border crossings with Russia.
Johannes Hirvelä, Migri’s Director of Development, told reporters that Finland’s geographic location continues to dampen irregular flows, but warned that reduced pressure at official crossing points could push more people toward clandestine routes, raising the risk of trafficking and maritime tragedies.
The fall in applications offers breathing room for Migri, which has been under political pressure to accelerate returns of rejected applicants and reduce reception-centre costs. Nonetheless, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen emphasised that “instrumentalised migration” remains a strategic threat and called on the EU to strengthen joint border forces and fast-track negotiations on the Union’s new Asylum and Migration Pact.
For employers, the easing of asylum numbers may free up administrative bandwidth for work-permit processing, but lawyers caution that the government’s tougher stance on removals and detention—formalised in May 2025 amendments to the Aliens Act—means compliance risks for companies whose foreign hires lose legal status.
Businesses sending staff to Finland should therefore monitor the evolving enforcement climate, ensure all travel documentation is in order, and be prepared for spot checks near the eastern border, where police and border-guard patrols have increased.
