Integration policies – Finland country report

Abstract

This report outlines Finnish integration policies. As a relatively new country of immigration with a small immigrant population, Finnish integration policies were developed in their current form only in the past decade. The latest Integration Act was put into action in 2012. Although the main groups of concern in public and political debate about immigration are humanitarian migrants from culturally distant countries, integration policies are primarily concerned with labour market inclusion. The central tool for integration is the Personal Integration Plan, a contract between individual migrants and the relevant state authorities. In addition to state policies, the third sector is seen as an important facilitator in aiding immigrant integration, especially in terms of training on cultural knowledge and language skills.