Aim of the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration is to ensure equality

The aim of the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration is to make it easier for immigrants to achieve equality with the rest of the population, both in terms of rights and obligations.  The act contains provisions on measures and services that help to achieve this aim. 

The act applies to immigrants that have moved to Finland and that are not Finnish citizens (foreigners and persons with no citizenship). The act does not apply to asylum seekers. 

The services and measures laid down in the act support immigrant integration

Especially during the early stages of their stay in Finland, immigrants are provided with measures and services promoting and supporting integration, such as studies of Finnish or Swedish. Immigrants are also provided with information about Finnish society, Finnish culture and employment and training opportunities.   

Integration services are offered on the basis of the immigrants’ individual service needs and the situation of their families. 

The act lays down the tasks of the different actors

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is responsible for the preparation of integration matters in Finland as laid down in the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration.

The act also lays down the tasks and roles of

  • municipalities and Employment and Economic Development Offices (TE Offices),
  • ministries,
  • Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres) and
  • Regional State Administrative Agencies

in the promotion of immigrant integration.

The Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration entered into force on 1 September 2011. 

For more information about the application of the act, see our online manual

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has prepared an online manual on the act, which is available at the kotouttaminen.fi-website. The manual contains up-to-date information about the application of the act for parties involved in integration and offering measures promoting integration. The manual is only available in Finnish and Swedish.

Furher information
Juha-Pekka Suomi, juha-pekka.suomi(at)tem.fi