Ukrainians from these areas will thus not automatically receive protection in Norway, but they will receive a specific and individual assessment of their need for protection. Ukrainians from the areas that UDI assesses as safe may have their applications for asylum rejected. An area is considered safe in terms of asylum law when arbitrary acts of violence do not occur to such an extent that anyone who is in the area meets the conditions for international protection.
Continued support to Ukraine and controlled and sustainable immigration
The war in Ukraine is set to continue indefinitely and has triggered the greatest refugee crisis in Europe in recent years. The Norwegian Government is making changes so that it can carry on helping those who need protection in the future as well, and to ensure that the population’s broad support to Ukraine continues.
After several previous rounds of tightening restrictions, the share of Ukrainians coming to Norway declined during the winter, but has now begun to rise again.
‘Immigration to Norway must be controlled and sustainable, and not disproportionately greater than in our peer countries, such as the Nordic countries. For this reason, the Government is introducing new restrictions. In future, asylum seekers from Ukraine will therefore be treated on a more equal footing to other asylum seekers. The collective protection scheme will now be directed more precisely at those in need of protection’, says Minister of Justice and Public Security Emilie Mehl (Centre Party).
It is very important for European security that Ukraine succeeds in winning the war, and Norway is also contributing extensive support to Ukraine through the Nansen programme and donations of weapons, among other initiatives.
‘Norway’s support to Ukraine remains steadfast. We must show solidarity and take our share of the responsibility for Ukrainians who need protection, says Minister of Justice and Public Security Emilie Mehl (Centre Party)
Norway has received more Ukrainians than other Nordic countries. Norway has received 85 000 Ukrainians during the last two and a half years. On several occasions, the Government has cut back on the level of benefits and accommodation offered to people displaced from Ukraine. This has contributed to a significant reduction in arrivals – about 40% fewer Ukrainians have arrived in Norway so far this year compared to the same time last year. This year, arrivals have remained at a fairly stable level, but the numbers have increased in recent weeks.
Ensuring integration
‘Ukrainians who are granted protection in Norway must be well received. At the same time, Norwegian municipalities are starting to reach capacity. Housing is in short supply and there is pressure on welfare services. We must maintain control over immigration to Norway. The changes that we are now proposing are necessary to enable municipalities all over Norway to welcome those who arrive and ensure good integration. Ukrainians who come to Norway must learn Norwegian, find work, and get an education,’ said Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion Tonje Brenna (Labour Party).
Exceptions for close family members
The collective protection scheme was introduced to make it possible to deal with a large number of people displaced from Ukraine in an acute and unpredictable situation. The scheme will be continued for Ukrainians from the areas at risk.
For this reason, the Government has today approved amendments to the regulations which mean that people from areas that UDI considers safe are no longer covered by the collective protection scheme. Some 10% of the Ukrainians who have arrived in Norway so far in 2024 are from the areas that UDI now considers safe.
‘The amendments apply to Ukrainians who come to Norway from now on. It is important to emphasise that the amendments do not apply to Ukrainians who have already received protection in Norway, or to their close family members. Nor do they apply to patients who have been evacuated from Ukraine to Norway or their close families,’ says Ms Brenna.
Individual assessment
It is the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) that deal with asylum cases and assess the security situation in the areas from which asylum seekers come. UDI’s current assessment is that the security situation in certain areas in western Ukraine does not imply a need for protection for everyone who comes from these areas.
‘Ukraine is a large country. ln parts of the country the fighting is very brutal, but other parts are far less affected by the war. People who come from the areas that UDI considers safe will therefore be treated in the same way as asylum seekers from other countries,’ said Ms Mehl.
If no individual need for protection exists, applications from new asylum seekers from these areas will be rejected.
Section 7-5 a of the Immigration Regulations has been amended so that the collective protection scheme no longer applies to applicants who have had permanent residence in an area of Ukraine that the immigration authorities consider safe.
Security assessments are an ordinary and statutory part of asylum law, and the security assessment for Ukraine is done in the same way and according to the same standard as security assessments for other countries.
The areas that the immigration authorities consider safe enough for people to return to are assessed continuously, and the situation may change rapidly. UDI has now defined six counties [oblasts] in Ukraine as safe for return: Lviv, Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ivano Frankivsk, Ternopil and Rivne.
The tightened restrictions do not apply to people who have already received temporary collective protection in Norway or new applicants who are close family members of people who have received collective protection. The amendments also do not apply to people who are offered medical evacuation to Norway (Medevac patients) and any family members accompanying them.
Source – Government of Norway