Finland’s immigration authority, the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), confirmed on Thursday 5 February that it has **temporarily suspended decisions in a batch of around 100 asylum cases filed by Iranian nationals**. The agency said the pause will remain in place until an updated country-of-origin information (COI) report is completed, allowing officials to reassess how nationwide anti-government protests and the Iranian security forces’ crackdown may affect individual protection needs. (yle.fi)
Pauses of this kind are not unusual: under EU asylum rules, member states may defer decisions when the security situation in an applicant’s country of origin suddenly deteriorates and reliable background data become scarce. Migri emphasised that the halt applies only to cases that depend heavily on up-to-date COI; applications that can be decided on other grounds (for example, family reunification or Dublin transfers) will continue to move forward. (yle.fi)
For organisations and individuals who need clear, up-to-date guidance on Finnish entry requirements while Migri’s review is underway, VisaHQ’s Finland portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) consolidates visa rules, application checklists and optional document-processing support, making it easier to navigate shifting immigration policies and prepare compliant filings once decisions resume.
![Finland’s Migri pauses decisions on Iranian asylum cases pending security reassessment]()
For employers and universities that sponsor residence permits, the move has limited immediate impact, but international mobility teams should note two practical consequences. First, Iranian nationals awaiting a first-instance decision will likely remain in reception centres or municipal accommodation for several extra months, extending municipal cost exposure. Second, work authorisations tied to the asylum process (for example, after the statutory six-month wait) may be delayed, complicating onboarding plans for Iranian hires already in Finland.
Law firms specialising in Finnish immigration recommend that sponsoring organisations **track the status of pending Iranian cases closely** and factor additional lead time into project planning. When the security review concludes—likely in early spring—Migri is expected to issue new internal guidelines clarifying risk categories and returnability, after which the suspended cases will be prioritised in the decision queue.
Longer term, the episode is another reminder of how geopolitical volatility can ripple into Finnish immigration processing. Mobility managers should keep contingency plans for similar pauses from other high-risk jurisdictions and ensure that posted-worker schedules, payroll start dates and corporate housing leases remain flexible.
Pauses of this kind are not unusual: under EU asylum rules, member states may defer decisions when the security situation in an applicant’s country of origin suddenly deteriorates and reliable background data become scarce. Migri emphasised that the halt applies only to cases that depend heavily on up-to-date COI; applications that can be decided on other grounds (for example, family reunification or Dublin transfers) will continue to move forward. (yle.fi)
For organisations and individuals who need clear, up-to-date guidance on Finnish entry requirements while Migri’s review is underway, VisaHQ’s Finland portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/) consolidates visa rules, application checklists and optional document-processing support, making it easier to navigate shifting immigration policies and prepare compliant filings once decisions resume.
For employers and universities that sponsor residence permits, the move has limited immediate impact, but international mobility teams should note two practical consequences. First, Iranian nationals awaiting a first-instance decision will likely remain in reception centres or municipal accommodation for several extra months, extending municipal cost exposure. Second, work authorisations tied to the asylum process (for example, after the statutory six-month wait) may be delayed, complicating onboarding plans for Iranian hires already in Finland.
Law firms specialising in Finnish immigration recommend that sponsoring organisations **track the status of pending Iranian cases closely** and factor additional lead time into project planning. When the security review concludes—likely in early spring—Migri is expected to issue new internal guidelines clarifying risk categories and returnability, after which the suspended cases will be prioritised in the decision queue.
Longer term, the episode is another reminder of how geopolitical volatility can ripple into Finnish immigration processing. Mobility managers should keep contingency plans for similar pauses from other high-risk jurisdictions and ensure that posted-worker schedules, payroll start dates and corporate housing leases remain flexible.
