Pakolaisneuvonta - Finnish Refugee Advice Centre

What Pakolaisneuvonta - Finnish Refugee Advice Centre does

Pakolaisneuvonta ry, operating as the Finnish Refugee Advice Centre, is a non-governmental civil society organization founded in 1988 and headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. The organization specializes in refugee, immigration, and aliens law, providing paid legal representation alongside free legal advice. It serves asylum seekers, refugees, residence permit applicants, citizenship applicants, family reunification cases, and victims of human trafficking. Its primary end users are foreign nationals navigating Finland's immigration system.

The organization's core product is lawyer services (Lakipalvelut) billed at EUR 150 per hour plus 25.5% VAT, covering asylum appeals, residence permits, citizenship applications, and family reunification cases. It complements these with free phone and email advice (Yleisneuvonta) and a dedicated free advisory service for undocumented migrants (Paperittomat-neuvonta). Supporting technology includes a proprietary encrypted email portal (turvaposti.pakolaisneuvonta.fi), which is the mandatory channel for document submission, Matomo cookie-free analytics, and MailChimp for donor communications. Fee-based training programs for authorities, municipalities, and NGOs provide additional revenue.

The business model is a hybrid non-profit structure with four revenue streams: paid legal services, individual and corporate donations (collected via Frisbi, MobilePay, and Vitec Avoine platforms), STEA government grants for free humanitarian services, and training fees. Approximately 18 specialized lawyers and a small administrative team operate from a single Helsinki office, delivering services nationwide by phone and secure email. The organization also engages in policy advocacy and legislative input through Ministry of Interior expert networks.

Name

Pakolaisneuvonta - Finnish Refugee Advice Centre

Legal name

Pakolaisneuvonta ry

Website

https://pakolaisneuvonta.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pakolaisneuvonta ry is a Helsinki-based Finnish non-governmental organization founded in 1988 that provides specialized legal aid, representation, and free advice in refugee, immigration, and asylum law to asylum seekers, refugees, and other foreigners in Finland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Services

NAICS

Other Legal Services (54119), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Asylum & Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Support (BPADAHAB)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Refugee law advice
• Asylum legal aid
• Residence permit services
• Human trafficking assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Hourly legal services at 150 EUR per hour (+ VAT). Revenue from clients who can pay for legal representation in asylum, residence permit, citizenship, and family reunification cases.
2. Donations and Membership: One-time and recurring donations from individuals and organizations. Monthly giving programs, one-time gifts via bank transfer, MobilePay, and online donation forms. Rahankeräyslupa (fundraising permit) RA/2021/447.
3. STEA Government Funding: Funding from Sosiaali- ja terveysjärjestöjen avustuskeskus (STEA) for free legal advice services to undocumented migrants.
4. Training Services: Paid training programs on refugee and immigration law for authorities, municipal employees, organizations, teachers, and students. Revenue supports legal services provision.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pakolaisneuvonta is a legal aid organization and civil society NGO providing specialized legal representation and advice in refugee and immigration law. It offers paid lawyer services at EUR 150/hour in asylum, residence permit, citizenship, family reunification, and human trafficking cases, as well as free general legal advice by phone and email. Free specialized advice is also provided to undocumented migrants through STEA-funded services, and fee-based training programs on refugee and immigration law are delivered to authorities, municipalities, NGOs, and educational institutions.

Product overview

Pakolaisneuvonta operates as a legal aid organization specializing in immigration and refugee law, offering a unified suite of legal services centered around its core lawyer services. The portfolio spans free general legal advice (Yleisneuvonta) and specialized advice for undocumented migrants, alongside paid legal representation in asylum and international protection, family reunification, residence permits (including extensions), citizenship, and human trafficking cases. An encrypted email portal (turvaposti.pakolaisneuvonta.fi) is a mandatory channel for document submission. The organization also offers fee-based training programs on immigration law to public and NGO sectors, with proceeds funding core legal services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lawyer Services (Lakipalvelut) Paid legal representation and counsel in asylum, immigration, residence permit, citizenship, and family reunification matters by lawyers specialized in refugee and foreign nationals law. Charged at EUR 150/hour plus 25.5% VAT, with additional interpretation and court fees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dozens of human trafficking victims identified and assisted annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gainer OyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTelemarketing partner conducting outreach campaigns to recruit monthly donors. Contact made from number +358409251121.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ECRE (European Council on Refugees and Exiles): European umbrella network of NGOs working on refugee rights, including legal aid providers. Comparable in advocacy and policy-monitoring role but operates at pan-European level rather than as a direct service provider.
• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): Global UN agency for refugees with significant legal and protection mandates. Comparable in serving asylum seekers but operates at vastly greater scale and as an intergovernmental body, not an NGO legal aid provider.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM): Intergovernmental organization working on migration, including asylum-related support and policy. Overlaps with Pakolaisneuvonta's refugee/migrant client base but with a much broader global mandate.
• Danish Refugee Council: Larger Nordic-rooted humanitarian organization with significant legal aid capacity for refugees. Comparable in mission but materially larger in scale and broader in scope (also runs operations in displacement contexts).

Others

• Finnish Red Cross: Major Finnish humanitarian NGO operating reception centers and supporting asylum seekers. Overlaps in serving the same client population in Finland and frequently acts as a referral counterpart.
• Refugees Welcome Finland (Pakolaiset tervetulleita Suomeen): Finnish civil society advocacy organization supporting refugees' rights. Comparable in advocacy and refugee focus but oriented toward grassroots mobilization rather than legal representation.
• Helsinki Legal Aid Office (Helsingin oikeusaputoimisto): State-funded public legal aid office that is the default first-line legal aid provider for asylum seekers in Finland. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but operates as the structural alternative Pakolaisneuvonta complements.

Direct peers

• Refugee Council (UK): UK charity providing refugee advice, legal representation, and policy advocacy. Comparable as a national non-profit combining legal aid for asylum seekers with systemic advocacy work.
• Norwegian Organisation for Asylum Seekers (NOAS): Norwegian NGO offering legal aid and information to asylum seekers and monitoring Norwegian asylum policy. Closely aligned with Pakolaisneuvonta in combining legal services with policy advocacy in a Nordic market.
• Swedish Refugee Advice Centre (Rådgivningsbyrån för asylsökande): Swedish non-profit law firm providing free legal advice and representation to asylum seekers and refugees. Directly comparable in mission, structure (NGO law office), and Nordic country-of-operation to Pakolaisneuvonta.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pakolaisneuvonta.fi
• Instagraminstagram.com/pakolaisneuvonta
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pakolaisneuvonta

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pakolaisneuvonta - Finnish Refugee Advice Centre