Citizens’ assembly on work-based immigration to convene in Finland – 20,000 randomly selected people will receive letters shortly

Over the coming days, an unusual letter will land in the post boxes of around 20,000 adults living in Finland. The randomly selected recipients will receive an invitation to apply for the citizens’ assembly on the future of work-based immigration, coordinated by the University of Turku.

From among those who apply, one hundred participants will be selected for the assembly so that its composition represents the population of Finland as evenly as possible, for example by age, gender, mother tongue and place of residence.

The citizens’ assembly is part of the Future of Work-based Immigration initiative launched by Sitra and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Ahead of the assembly, citizen dialogues will also be held, along with an online discussion open to everyone on the Voxit platform.

“The discussions will produce a more comprehensive picture of citizens’ views than before, which supports decision-making,” says Heikki Lauha, a specialist at Democratic Innovations, Sitra.

“The discussions in the citizens’ assembly follow the principles of deliberative democracy, such as openness and equality,” continues Maija Jäske, a senior researcher at the University of Turku.

Citizens’ assembly to produce recommendations ahead of the parliamentary elections

The citizens’ assembly will meet over two weekends in Helsinki and four weekday evenings online between November 2026 and February 2027. The participants will have discussions and draw up a statement containing concrete recommendations for decision-makers.

The assembly’s work is supported by expert hearings and an extensive evidence base. It will thus bring together citizen, expert and research data produced during the earlier stages of the project.

The recommendations of the citizens’ assembly will be handed over to decision-makers, political parties and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment ahead of the parliamentary elections in spring 2027.

Researchers from the University of Turku will assess the impact of the project as a whole and how the different participation methods can complement one another. The project, which began in spring 2026, concludes in September 2027 when the results of the impact assessment are also published.

The aim of the project is to strengthen decision-making capacity and trust, and to increase citizens’ opportunities to have their say.