Finland has registered a record number of asylum seekers after Russia invaded Ukraine, surpassing the 2015 record during the migration crisis, Finnish authorities said on Monday (August 8th).
"
On August 4, people fleeing Ukraine because of Russia's military attack submitted 35,074 applications for temporary protection
," the Finnish Immigration Service said in a statement.
More than 37,000 people are currently registered in the reception system, “
an unprecedented number
”.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: France has taken in 100,000 refugees since the start of the conflict
The previous record in the Nordic country was 32,000 during the 2015 migration crisis. "
A third of those fleeing Ukraine are children
," said the immigration service.
The latter has so far made 33,480 requests for protection, meaning that nearly 95% of applicants have already received a response.
A total of 33,231 people have been granted protection.
Less than 1% of requests received a negative response.
“
The applicants who received a negative answer are citizens from countries other than Ukraine
,” the immigration service said.
Everyone has the right to work immediately after registering their application for temporary protection in Finland.
According to the latest figures from UNHCR, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 6.3 million refugees from Ukraine have been registered in Europe.
Bordering Russia, Finland applied for NATO membership after Moscow invaded Ukraine.