PM's party takes harder line on immigration as election season approaches
Petteri Orpo's National Coalition Party is drafting a policy programme that would call for stricter legislation on working-based immigration, family reunification and asylum seekers.
The National Coalition Party (NCP), headed by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, is currently formulating a new policy document that would markedly restrict Finland's immigration regulations. Atte Kaleva, NCP MP and leader of the initiative, informed Yle that Finland must adopt a more stringent approach to granting residence permits. According to Kaleva, Finland should limit economically straining immigration while bolstering and promoting immigration that benefits the national economy.
He emphasized that immigrants should possess employment upon entering Finland and maintain it throughout their stay. The NCP also aims to address family reunification, which involves a Finnish resident applying for residence permits for their relatives. Current Finnish law stipulates that applicants must be capable of supporting the family members they intend to bring to Finland.
Furthermore, the NCP will concentrate on humanitarian immigration, which entails granting international protection to asylum seekers or individuals who arrive in Finland as quota refugees. Finland's existing humanitarian immigration laws are susceptible to manipulation by hostile states, as evidenced by late 2023 suspicions that Russia was funneling large groups of migrants to eastern border checkpoints to coerce Finnish authorities.
The NCP's immigration strategy is to pivot towards employment-based immigration. Kaleva affirmed that the party's forthcoming policy paper, due for completion in early September, will advocate for immigration through employment as the primary focus. The NCP's announcement of its immigration plans coincides with the Social Democrats (SDP), Finland's main opposition party, unveiling a more stringent stance on integration and segregation in a policy paper published last week.
The SDP's proposal recommends immigrants adhere to the core values and norms of Finnish society, eschewing practices incompatible with Finnish society. This shift in rhetoric has been perceived as a significant turn by the SDP and hints at immigration becoming a contentious issue ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections next spring.
Kaleva expressed support for the SDP's apparent policy change, stating that these ideas are moving in the right direction and, if genuine, would be welcome.
Written by urgent.news from Yle News Finland's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
