Between August and December 2023, approximately 1,300 third-country nationals entered Finland illegally without a visa via the border crossing points at the eastern border. Since the closure of the border crossing points on the land border between Finland and Russia (as of 20.00 on 15 December 2023), there have only been a few illegal border crossings at these crossing points (January 2024).
The border crossing points on the land border between Finland and Russia are closed until further notice as of 15 December 2023.
The people who have arrived in the country are third-country nationals and most of them have used Russia for short-term transit. They are of many different nationalities, including Syrian, Somali, Yemeni and Iraqi. Most of them have applied for asylum in Finland.
Based on information provided by the authorities, there are still migrants in the neighbouring area waiting for the eastern border to open. There are also more people in the migrants' countries of origin who wish to migrate to Finland.