Uutissuomalainen: According to Social Security Minister Grahn-Laasonen, Kela reimbursements will be raised significantly by the turn of the year at the latest. Photo: Antti Aimo-Koivisto / Lehtikuva
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The Finnish government is advancing reforms that would change access to social security for migrants, social security minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen told Uutissuomalainen.
Two draft laws are being prepared. The first concerns child home care allowance. A so-called “Norwegian model” will be sent for consultation in the coming days. Under the plan, only people who have lived in Finland or elsewhere in the EU for at least three years would qualify.
Grahn-Laasonen said the aim is to ensure that children from migrant backgrounds enter early childhood education as widely as possible. “The goal is for children to learn the language and gain good readiness for school,” she told Uutissuomalainen.
The second reform is a proposed integration benefit. It would provide limited financial support for newcomers who do not find work immediately. The government intends to submit the proposal for consultation by the end of 2025.
Grahn-Laasonen said the integration benefit would be lower than the current labour market subsidy or the forthcoming universal benefit.
Earlier this year, Ilta-Sanomat obtained detailed statistics from Kela on recipients of labour market support and basic social assistance. According to those figures, people with a foreign mother tongue account for about 30 percent of social assistance recipients, receiving more than €300 million in 2024. Among adults speaking Somali or Arabic, about one in three received support.
The data also showed that over one third of labour market subsidies paid by Kela go to people registered as foreign-language speakers. The largest recipient groups are Russian and Arabic speakers.
The government’s reforms are being debated amid growing public discussion about the cost of social benefits for migrants.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
