Finland received a record number of asylum seekers after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and even surpassed the maximum reached during the 2015 migration crisis, Finnish authorities announced on Monday.
As of August 4, “people who fled Ukraine due to Russia’s military attack filed 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, “a record number,” he added.
The previous record was 32,000 and was reached during the 2015 migration crisis.
“A third of those fleeing Ukraine are children,” the immigration service said. The agency has processed 33,480 requests for protection so far, which means that about 95% of applicants have received a response.
33,231 people received protection and less than 1% of the demands obtained a negative response.
“Applicants who received a negative answer are citizens of countries other than Ukraine,” the immigration service said.
In Finland, everyone has the right to work once their application for temporary protection is registered.
More than 6.3 million Ukrainian refugees have been registered in Europe, according to the latest data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
