Digitalisation of the Finnish asylum procedure: from efficiency to procedural vulnerabilities
2025-11-17
This article examines the ongoing change brought by digitalisation to the Finnish asylum procedure. It presents findings from interviews conducted with legal representatives of asylum applicants and public officials at the Finnish Immigration Service on the benefits and risks related to digitalisation. In addition to the interview material, publicly available documentation is also analysed on the digitalisation of the asylum procedure and its legal framework. First, the study finds that digitalisation in this context is multilayered; however, it is understood rather differently between the two professional groups. Second, the different needs and interests of the stakeholders involved in sociotechnical practices meet, clash and are negotiated. This is exemplified in the study particularly in relation to the organization of remote asylum interviews. The findings suggest that these sociotechnical practices produce procedural vulnerabilities that particularly affect asylum seekers in weaker positions.