Government suspends decisions on Iraqi and Somali asylum claims

Pulse Staff 07:47 - 30 September 2015

A migrant woman from Somalia covers her face with a scarf at a transit camp in Gevgelija, Macedonia, after entering the country by crossing the border with Greece, September 12, 2015. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

Around 17,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Finland this year, with 69 percent of them having come from Iraq and 10 percent from Somalia.

Finland on Wednesday said it has suspended its decision-making on Iraqi and Somali asylum claims due to an ongoing assessment of the security situation in the two countries.

The Finnish Immigration Service said in a statement that it may change its guidelines for granting people asylum after the assessment is completed within a couple of weeks.