Return - IOM Publications - International Organization for Migration

Return Migration: Policies and Practices
specifies which government officials are responsible for return expenses depending on the
foreigner’s legal status in Finland. The agreement was meant to offer the foreigners a humane
and dignified way to return.
The Ministry of Interior guideline on implementation of expulsion and deportation orders,
(Sisäasiainministeriön käännyttämisen ja maasta karkoittamisen täytäntöönpano-ohje),
issued on 31 July 1998, Document No. 2/011/98.
The Ministry of Interior decree regarding centralization of the police’s asylum investigation,
detention and implementation of removal-from-country orders, (Poliisin turvapaikkatutkinnan
keskittämistä, ulkomaalaislain nojalla tehtävää säilöönottoa ja maastapoistamispäätösten
täytäntöönpanoa koskeva määräys). Issued on 2 July 2002, in Document No. SM-2002-1454/
Tu-41, this decree permits the use of IOM services when the foreigner wants to return
voluntarily.
2.2 ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROCEDURAL ARRANGEMENTS
Institutions Responsible for Voluntary Return
Government officials and social workers refer interested parties to IOM, which works in cooperation
with local NGOs such as the Refugee Advice Centre and the Finnish Refugee Council.
These in turn also offer assistance on returns for asylum seekers.
Operational Steps for Voluntary Return
According to general government guidelines on return, assistance may be granted when:
The returnee is a refugee;
Repatriation is voluntary;
Repatriation is deemed safe;
The returnee has a precise address in his/her homeland;
The returnee’s travel documents are in order;
The returnee’s affairs in Finland are in order.
Return of Qualified Afghans Programme (IOM-RQA)
This programme aims to boost the reconstruction, capacity building and development process in
post-conflict Afghanistan through the progressive transfer of know-how of Afghan expatriate
professionals to their home country. The RQA Programme aims to facilitate the short- and longterm
employment, return, and reintegration of an estimated 1,500 skilled and qualified Afghan
nationals currently residing outside Afghanistan by the year 2004.
In coordination with state authorities, provincial authorities, and local and international bodies
working in Afghanistan, IOM places these experts in jobs critical to the country’s reconstruction
and sustainable development efforts. In addition to this, 500 persons under the project will be
awarded a self-employment grant to start their own business.
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