ABSTRACT
Finland has traditionally been a country of emigration. Finnish migration is closely related to its history and its peripheral location. There has never been great pressure for migration and neither has there been a labour shortage. Finnish migration policy has also traditionally been rather restrictive because of the country's geopolitical location. The integration policies and policies concerning foreigners living in Finland have changed since the beginning of the 1990s because of increased migration to Finland, membership of the European Council and European Union membership. The main emphasis of the immigration and refugee policy programmes is on the rapid and flexible integration of immigrants. Integration refers to participation in the economy, politics and social life of the society on an equal basis, and rights and obligations equal to those of the native population. Migration to Finland can roughly be divided into five categories: refugees; family reunifications; remigration; labour migration and migration for other reasons.
