legal and social conditions for asylum seekers and refugees in ...
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Other categories<br />
Under Section 18c(2), persons resid<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> F<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> with other types of permanent residence<br />
permits are allowed family reunification with their family members provided they have guaranteed<br />
the necessary means of support. In practice, it is very difficult <strong>for</strong> them to meet the f<strong>in</strong>ancial<br />
requirements. This applies <strong>for</strong> <strong>in</strong>stance to those Somali <strong>and</strong> Iraqi <strong>asylum</strong> <strong>seekers</strong> who have been<br />
granted such residence permits <strong>and</strong> who experience great difficulties <strong>in</strong> obta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g family<br />
reunification.<br />
The Kosovo Albanians brought to F<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> under the UNHCR Humanitarian Evacuation<br />
Programme were entitled to family reunification.<br />
Procedure<br />
The application <strong>for</strong> family reunification may be submitted either by the person liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> F<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> or<br />
by his/her family member abroad to a F<strong>in</strong>ish diplomatic or consular mission abroad.<br />
The family member is usually <strong>in</strong>terviewed at the F<strong>in</strong>nish mission abroad. The mission <strong>for</strong>wards<br />
the case with the report of the <strong>in</strong>terview to the Directorate of Immigration <strong>for</strong> a decision. Be<strong>for</strong>e<br />
tak<strong>in</strong>g its decision, the Directorate of Immigration requests a statement from the person resid<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>in</strong> F<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> through the local police <strong>and</strong> also consults the municipal <strong>social</strong> authority.<br />
In March 2000, the Aliens Act was amended <strong>in</strong> order to <strong>in</strong>troduce DNA tests <strong>in</strong>to legislation.<br />
Accord<strong>in</strong>g to this, it is now possible to carry out such tests when family ties cannot be proved by<br />
other means. The decision to use a DNA test is made by the Directorate of Immigration.<br />
Negative decisions may be appealed to the regional Adm<strong>in</strong>istrative Court.<br />
Statistics (Source: Directorate of Immigration)<br />
Number of <strong>asylum</strong> <strong>seekers</strong><br />
Number of applications submitted <strong>in</strong> F<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong><br />
1995 849<br />
1996 711<br />
1997 973<br />
1998 1,272<br />
1999 3,106<br />
Number of statuses granted<br />
Number of statuses granted <strong>in</strong> F<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong><br />
Convention status De facto status* Other type of residence permits<br />
1997 4 247 30<br />
1998 7 356 16<br />
1999 29 425 42<br />
* this <strong>in</strong>cludes the residence permits based on the need <strong>for</strong> protection <strong>and</strong> the <strong>for</strong>mer residence<br />
permits <strong>for</strong> humanitarian reasons abolished <strong>in</strong> May 1999.<br />
Ma<strong>in</strong> National Groups to seek <strong>asylum</strong> <strong>in</strong> 1999<br />
The ma<strong>in</strong> groups were Slovak Roma, Polish Roma, Russians, persons from the <strong>for</strong>mer<br />
Yugoslavia (ma<strong>in</strong>ly Kosovo Albanians), Turkish (ma<strong>in</strong>ly Kurds) <strong>and</strong> Iraqis.<br />
72<br />
F<strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong>
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