We, Russian political and anti-war activists, human rights defenders, members of the LGBTQ+ community who have sought asylum in Finland, as well as all the undersigned, urgently demand that the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) expedite the processing of asylum applications from citizens of the Russian Federation whose waiting times for a decision exceed 21 months. We request that the Ministry of the Interior of Finland and the Parliamentary Ombudsman influence the responsible officials at the Finnish Immigration Service to prioritize these cases. Special attention should be given to expediting the applications of the signatories of this petition.

Article 21 of the Finnish Constitution guarantees everyone the right to have their case examined properly and without unjustified delay by a competent court or administrative body. Additionally, the Aliens Act (301/2004), Section 98a, explicitly sets a maximum processing time of 21 months for asylum applications, applicable only in cases where the applicant’s country of origin is experiencing instability.

As of the end of November 2024, Yle reports that up to 800 asylum seekers from the Russian Federation are in Finland. A significant number of these individuals have been waiting for decisions from the Finnish Immigration Service for more than the legally established 21 months, with some waiting times reaching up to 30 months. The Finnish Immigration Service justifies these delays by citing the lengthy process of developing recommendations and guidelines for asylum seekers in response to the changing situation in the Russian Federation. While it acknowledges that guidelines for decision-making were developed and could be applied starting in April 2024, the agency has not sufficiently processed the majority of applications from Russian applicants by the end of 2024. Some applicants have not even been invited for interviews that clarify the grounds for seeking international protection, and many are still waiting months for subsequent interview invitations or decisions. In contrast, applications from asylum seekers from other countries, including some submitted after 2022, are being processed in the usual manner. This discrepancy suggests potential discrimination against Russian applicants by the Finnish Immigration Service.

The prolonged waiting time imposes a significant psychological burden on these applicants, complicating their ability to find employment and hindering their integration into Finnish society. The status of an asylum seeker brings numerous legal and practical limitations, and the indefinite duration of this status exacerbates the impacts on these individuals’ lives. Some applicants continue to wait for a decision while living in reception centers, which are intended for temporary accommodation. However, due to delays caused by the Finnish Immigration Service, this temporary accommodation is lasted more than two years for some.

We demand that the Finnish Immigration Service not only expedite the processing of applications from Russian asylum seekers but also take the necessary measures to investigate and eliminate the factors contributing to these delays, ensuring that such a situation does not occur in the future. We call on the Finnish Immigration Service to take responsibility for the fate of these individuals, upholding principles of justice and respect for human rights. It is crucial that every applicant, regardless of nationality, receives a decision on their case within a reasonable timeframe, rather than enduring a prolonged state of uncertainty that violates their fundamental rights and undermines their human dignity.

We hope for a constructive and prompt resolution of this issue, which will help strengthen trust between the Russian-speaking community and Finland’s legal institutions.