Finland's Finns Party Wants Zero Quota Refugees and 10-Year Welfare Wait
Finance Minister Riikka Purra wants to abolish Finland's refugee quota completely, halt humanitarian immigration, and require ten years in the country before newcomers can claim child, housing, or sickness benefits.
Finland's co-governing Finns Party wants to abolish the country's refugee quota altogether and end state integration payouts to municipalities. Under a sweeping fiscal package presented by Finance Minister and party leader Riikka Purra, newcomers would also have to live in Finland for ten years before qualifying for housing benefits, child allowances, or sickness pay.
The austerity blueprint, unveiled on Thursday for the 2028 to 2031 parliamentary term, aims to cut public spending by €9 billion while raising €1 billion in taxes. Around €8 billion of the spending cuts are designed to be permanent under Finland's national debt brake, according to Svenska Yle.
Immigration and welfare rules sit at the center of the plan. By 2031, the Finns Party calculates it can save €690 million a year on migrant benefits and municipal integration budgets alone. Beyond scrapping the annual UN refugee quota, the party wants to halt humanitarian immigration entirely and raise income thresholds for anyone moving to Finland.
Ten Years in Finland Before Qualifying for Benefits
Under the proposal, housing allowance, child benefits, student aid, parental pay, and sickness benefits would be restricted to people who have lived in Finland for at least ten years.
For newcomers with less than ten years in the country, basic social assistance would be cut in half, and sending welfare payouts abroad would be banned outright. Long term, the party wants welfare eligibility tied directly to Finnish citizenship.
During the 2015 European migrant wave, 32,476 people applied for asylum in Finland, nearly nine times the 3,651 applications recorded the year before.
Scrapping the Environment Ministry and Cutting State Media
Purra's savings list goes well beyond migration policy. The Finns Party wants to shut down the Ministry of the Environment, the Natural Resources Institute, and the National Agency for Education.
State broadcaster Yle would lose €200 million in funding, €500 million in foreign development aid would be scrapped, and the €1 billion state innovation fund Sitra would be wound down. Military and financial aid to Ukraine would remain untouched.
"Every single spending line has to be open to scrutiny," Purra said when presenting the package. The plan represents the Finns Party's own platform ahead of broader coalition budget talks expected in November.
Simon Kristoffersson · Responsible Publisher & Senior Editor (Ansvarig utgivare)
Simon Kristoffersson is the Legally Responsible Publisher (Ansvarig utgivare) and Senior Investigative Editor of Samnytt and Samnytt News under Sweden's Constitutional Freedom of the Press Act, specializing in courts, organized crime, municipal governance, and public-sector investigations.
Follow @SamnyttNews on 𝕏 ↗