Finland places fourth in immigrant integration policy

Sweden, Portugal, and Canada are to three

print this

A study comparing immigrant integration policies of the EU countries, Switzerland, Canada, and the United States, puts Finland in fourth place in the degree to which legislation and immigration policy helps newcomers adapt to their new country of residence.
      The Migration Integration Policy Index study by the Migration Policy Group organisation put Sweden in first place, followed by Portugal, Canada, and Finland.
     
The director of the MPG, Jan Niessen, points out that the top spots on the list are no longer dominated by the old colonial powers.
      “Placement on the list is no longer about tradition, but rather the political will of the countries”, Niessen says.
     
Finland is criticised for shortcomings in the promotion of long-term settlement.
      “Officially the thinking in Finland is that people can come here and stay. However, is there something in the system that does not encourage people to stay?” ponders Pasi Saukkonen of the Centre for Research on Ethnic Relations and Nationalism at the University of Helsinki.
      Saukkonen says that once an immigrant gets a residence permit in Finland, things go smoothly. However, applying for a residence permit is seen to be such a complicated process that many potential immigrants give up.
     
Getting Finnish citizenship has also not been made easy in Finland. Saukkonen says that the requirements for language skills are some of the toughest among the countries in the survey.
      “These results show that Finland’s immigration policy is not as lax as some have claimed”, notes Minister of Migration and European Affairs Astrid Thors (Swed. People’s Party).
     
Finland has been particularly successful in promoting ways for immigrants to wield political influence, and in fighting discrimination. Special praise was given for the establishment of an office of Ombudsman for Minorities.
      The study also examined the question of mobility on the labour market, family unification, and education.
     
Saukkonen emphasises that Finland needs to concentrate more on the integration of second-generation immigrants.
      “Problems accumulate if second-generation immigrants do not get education or work.”
     
Astrid Thors says that Finland has room for improvement in all areas. She also says that Finland should set a goal in the next government term of being the best of the countries in the survey.
      Saukkonen points out that the survey does not measure the practical success of integration efforts.
      “There are countries involved, like Denmark, for instance, which are fairly low in the ranking, but where integration works fairly well in practice.”
     


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Integration training fails to significantly improve employment prospects of refugees (22.12.2008)
  Immigrants and the difficulties of integration and getting into the cultural mainstream (8.6.2010)
  Foreign Minister Stubb defends immigration and multiculturalism (19.3.2010)

Links:
  Migration Policy Group website
  Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX)

Helsingin Sanomat