DistantNews
Support us
🇫🇮 Finland /Culture & Society

Individual review does not guarantee fair asylum decisions, study finds

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Analysis Sources not specified Context piece
  • An academic study indicates that Finland's Immigration Service may have used biased information in asylum decisions, particularly concerning Russian citizens.
  • The research suggests that asylum interviews do not adequately inform applicants about expectations, and their narratives may not be sufficiently facilitated to confirm their fears.
  • Despite asylum decisions being based on international standards, individual assessment, and country information, the study argues this does not guarantee fairness due to the agency's significant discretion.

A recent study challenges the fairness of asylum decisions made by Finland's Immigration Service, particularly for Russian citizens. The research indicates that the information used in these decisions can be biased. Asylum applications are typically processed through personal interviews where applicants explain their need for protection. However, the study found that these interviews often fail to inform applicants about what is expected of them. Furthermore, the way applicants' stories are facilitated may not adequately support their fears.

My research proves that in at least some cases, the information selected for the Immigration Service's decisions has been biased.

— ResearcherThe researcher's findings on the selection of information used in asylum decisions.

The Immigration Service bases its decisions on country-specific information, which involves reviewing extensive reports and media data. The study's findings suggest that only selected pieces of this vast information are used, and this selection can be skewed. For example, if country data indicates potential persecution for a certain group but also suggests this is not always the case, the decision might only consider the information that denies persecution.

The interviews do not sufficiently inform applicants about the expectations placed upon them, nor is their narrative necessarily facilitated in a way that supports the confirmation of their fears as fact.

— ResearcherCritique of the asylum interview process.

Appeals against these decisions are common, but the administrative courts rarely overturn the Immigration Service's rulings. The research highlights that when the agency's interpretation differs from the applicant's, the court typically upholds the agency's view without deeply examining the applicant's counterarguments. This significant discretion held by the Immigration Service, even when adhering to international standards and using country information, raises concerns about the actual fairness of asylum determinations.

When the Immigration Service's and the asylum seeker's interpretations differ, the administrative court does not generally assess the interpretations presented by the asylum seeker in support of their appeal.

— ResearcherObservation on how administrative courts handle appeals.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog