Reform to increase overall responsibility of municipalities for integration

The comprehensive reform of the Integration Act (KOTO24) aims to speed up the integration and employment of immigrants and to strengthen their knowledge of Finnish society. The reform is related to the T24 reform where employment and economic development services are transferred from the central government to municipalities.

The KOTO24 reform seeks to facilitate the path of immigrants towards employment and to improve the access of immigrant women and others outside the labour force to services, in particular. With municipalities taking overall responsibility for promoting integration, competence development and employment-promoting services, coordinating and organising various services will become easier from 1 January 2025.

Municipalities are familiar with regional needs and employment situation

The reform will bring municipal services closer to customers. As a new element, municipalities will be required to produce an integration programme that contains all municipal integration services of the initial stage. The integration programme includes the preparation of an integration plan as well as integration training and multilingual civic orientation.

Promotion of immigrant integration will become more goal-oriented as the maximum duration of the integration plan will be reduced. The aim is to direct immigrants more efficiently towards employment and educational and employment services. 

More immigrants to participate in integration services

Municipalities will be required to reach for services not only unemployed jobseekers but also parents caring for children at home, for example. The aim is to speed up, in particular, early-stage integration and referral to various services. Municipalities will offer all immigrants low-threshold guidance and advice services as well as basic information about the Finnish society.  

Introduction of multilingual civic orientation and final testing of language skills

Going forward, municipalities will organise multilingual civic orientation for immigrants. The orientation will provide immigrants information about Finnish society and their obligations and rights in their own language or in a language they know well. The Finnish or Swedish skills of an immigrant will be tested at the end of the integration training.

The reform of the Integration Act also clarifies the responsibilities of different authorities in promotion of integration and reception of refugees and supports multisectoral cooperation.

The reform of the Integration Act, which has been prepared since 2021, is based on the Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government and the Government Report on the need to reform the promotion of immigrant integration. The Government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has made changes to the reform that will strengthen central government finances and increase the immigrant’s own responsibility for integration.

Inquiries:
Hanna-Maria Hyttinen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 047 203 (unavailable 23 December 2024–3 January 2025)
Nea Brandt, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 047 239 (unavailable 20–27 December 2024)
Paula Karjalainen, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 047 117 (unavailable 19–20 December 2024)