Closer to the Truth: DNA profiling for family reunification and the rationales of immigration policy in Finland

DNA profiling is used to verify the claimed parentage of immigrants who apply for family reunification in at least 20 industrialised countries. Finland was one of the pioneers in the adoption of the technology. While laboratory practices are relatively similar, there are considerable differences between countries in the ways DNA profiling is used in decision-making. In this article, DNA testing is studied in the context of the Finnish migration regime in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Analysis of policy documents and interviews with immigration experts demonstrate the entwining and modification of two policy rationales: securing human rights and combating fraud.