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Home NATIONALOrpo suggests asylum seekers getting Finnish sponsors
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Sun, 01 Nov, 2015 12:08:47 AM
FTimes – STT Report, Nov 1
 
Interior Minister Petteri Orpo. File Photo – Str / Lehtikuva.
Interior Minister Petteri Orpo on Saturday suggested that refugees coming to Finland could appoint their own Finnish sponsors.
 
Talking to MTV in its Uutisten Uutisextra (News Extra Programme), the minister said he was asked to investigate possible sponsorships for upcoming refugees in Finland.
 
A sponsor could, according to the minister, pick up a refugee from the reception centre and take him or her for a visit to the sponsor’s home or to a cafe.
 
At the same time, the sponsor could teach a little Finnish language and culture.
 
“There are a lot of creative ideas, and they are working on them with nongovernmental organisations [NGOs],” Orpo said.
 
The minister believes the current integration measures are not enough in a situation where the number of refugees is much higher this year than in the previous years.
 
Asylum seekers arrive to refugee reception center in the northern town of Tornio, Finland. File Photo – Str / Lehtikuva.
The government in its latest forecast estimated an influx of 30,000 to 35,000 asylum seekers by the end of the year. The previous forecast, however, was much higher, of 50,000 refugees. 
 
There is still a demand for new refugee reception centres, although the number of new asylum seekers has significantly dropped in the past one month.
 
Finnish Immigration Service sources said the country still needs on average two new reception centres a week, each with a capacity to accommodate 200 persons. 
 
There are currently about 110 refugee accommodation units in the country. 
 
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