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European Reintegration Networking |
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European Reintegration Networking |
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Norwegian Refugee Council
P.O. Box 6758 St. Olavs plass
N-0130 Oslo
NORWAY
Phone: +47 23 10 98 00
Fax: +47 23 10 98 01
nrc@nrc.no
The Norwegian Authorities effected immigration stop to Norway in 1976, due to a large number of working immigrants entering the country and its labour market. Since 1976 Norway has only granted resident to refugees, asylum seekers with permission to stay on humanitarian grounds and family reunions to the mentioned groups. Norway also grant residence to immigrants according to the needs in the Norwegian labour market.
As a general comment to the immigration situation in Norway this is mainly linked to issues around unemployment and criminality.
Over the last 2-3 years the number of asylum seekers coming to Norway has grown. In 2002 around 18.000 persons will apply for asylum in Norway.
There are around 300.000 immigrants in Norway, 196.200 from Western countries and 103.800 from non-western countries, 84.000 of these are refugees and former asylum seekers. The biggest numbers of the 108.000 immigrants from non-western countries are:
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Immigrants: |
Number: |
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Pakistan |
25.000 |
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Vietnam |
16.400 |
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Yugoslavia |
14.500 |
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Iraq |
13.500 |
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Iran |
11.900 |
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Bosnia-Hercegovina |
11.800 |
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Somalia |
11.200 |
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Turkey |
3.700 |
The number of asylum seekers coming to Norway since 1991:
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1991 |
4.569 |
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1992 |
5.238 |
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1993 |
12.876 |
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1994 |
3.379 |
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1995 |
1.460 |
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1996 |
1.778 |
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1997 |
2.271 |
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1998 |
8.543 |
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1999 |
10.160 |
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2000 |
10.842 |
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2001 |
14.782 |
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2002 |
18.000 |
Situation of re-migration (statistics, laws and regulations, political situation, who is returning, which are the countries of return)
There is no laws in Norway on repatriation or re-migration. There is however programmes for refugees and persons with resident on humanitarian grounds. Since 1994 there has been emphasised that voluntarily repatriation to home country is one of the three durable solutions for a refugee. Each refugee is given 2.000 EURO when he/she repatriates to his/her home country.
The statistics on those who has repatriated to their country of origin are as follows:
1.700 of the Bosnians and Kosovo Albanians have returned back to Norway after a repatriation attempt.
The repatriation program is not for immigrants in general, only refugees.
Framework
The Norwegian ministry of Internal Affairs is responsible for all policy with regards to immigration to Norway. This include all labour immigrants, refugees, persons with resident on humanitarian grounds and family reunions to these groups. The development of the repatriation policy and programs are also under the responsibility of the Ministry of internal Affairs. The practical side of the immigration and repatriation is handed over by the ministry to the Directorate of immigration, also a public institution. The Directorate of Immigration has given some NGOs the task to serve the immigrants and refugees with their question and need.
Municipalities, private persons and humanitarian organisation are implementing the running of all the reception centres for asylum seekers in Norway. The finances are covered by the state.
The municipalities take care of the settlement of refugees. Each municipality who settle a refugee gets all costs covered from the state. The state pays per refugee for the first five ears of settlement. One of the biggest problems with regards to settlement is that quite many refugees move from the smaller municipalities (which we have many of in Norway) to the bigger cities short after settlement. 25% of the refugees live in Oslo, and a big number of the immigrants from the non Western countries.
The Norwegian NGOs cover information and counselling with regards to return and repatriation.
Norwegian Refugee Council provides “information and counselling on Repatriation to all refugee groups in Norway on the refugees own language.
Norwegian People’s Aid provides information to rejected asylum seekers who participate on IOMs so-called Voluntary Return Program.
Norwegian Red Cross assists refugees in the integration process.
Norway provides 2000 EURO to each refugee who repatriate to their country of origin. The authorities also cover travel costs. The refugees have the possibility to go back to Norway 2 years after the repatriation. The authorities give no counselling to refugees, this is taken care of by the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The Norwegian Refugee Council, under the INCOR-project (Information and Counselling on Repatriation) provides information and counselling on repatriation to refugees and persons with residence in Norway on humanitarian grounds. The INCOR project was set up in 1995 and has solid knowledge about the most important issues facing persons who are considering repatriating to their home country from Norway. The INCOR project is not promoting repatriation, but is handling repatriation as one of the three durable solutions for a refugee. If a person decide to go back home this should be based on a well informed decision. A counselling with one of the INCOR staff members might end up in a decision to stay in Norway as well as a decision to repatriate.
The donor of the INCOR project is the Directorate of Immigration www.udi.no
INCOR has since 1995 counselled 9000 individuals, mostly Bosnians and Kosovo Albanians. In addition to the counselling given in Norway, either by phone or by meetings, specific projects has been conducted, like:
INCOR has so far only targeted Bosnians and Kosovo Albanians with specific projects in addition to the information and counselling work. Norwegian refugee Council has recently started a very fruitful co-operation with the Danish Refuge Council and the Gothenburg Initiative in Sweden on repatriation programs to Somalia. In 2003 the three Scandinavian NGOs will co-operate on a repatriation and development projects targeting Somalian teachers in Scandinavia and teachers and pupils in Somalia. Additionally an information system with regards to repatriation will be set up and a seminar on Somalia will be held in Sweden.
INCOR will also target Afghans in specific in 2003 and plan to conduct a go and see visit for Afghan refugees in Norway.
Rejected asylum seekers who are told to leave Norway can participate on the so-called “Voluntary Return Program” implemented by IOM. IOM opened an office in Oslo May 2002, and has since then assisted rejected asylum seekers back to their home countries. Norwegian People’s Aid is covering the information to the rejected asylum seekers, as IOM takes care of the transportation. The Police is escorting those asylum seekers who not participate in IOMs return program.
All cost connected to this program is covered by the Directorate of Immigration.
Norway has so fat not linked repatriation and development aid. Norwegian Refugee Council hopes that this will be possible in the coming year, for instance through the Scandinavian Repatriation Project for Somali teachers.
However, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has provided a huge amount of money, both through UN and through Norwegian NGOs to refugees country of origin. The Norwegian Refugee Council implements program in :
The Norwegian presence has been large, and to a certain degree still is in the mentioned countries, and the main donor is the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. UNHCR and ECHO have also funded the project.
Norwegian Refugee Council implement projects in 16 countries concerning:
The target groups are, refugees, internally displaced persons and returnees.
So far Norwegian Refugee Council and the Norwegian authorities have not succeeded in linking repatriation with development and in the countries where we are present.
IOM is targeting Afghans through their program “Return of Qualified Afghans” (RQA) So far only one Afghan with residence in Norway has participated in the program.
The voluntary repatriation from Norway has mainly targeted persons from Chile, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Kosovo since the beginning of 1990. The Norwegian ministry of internal Affairs has this year initiated an evaluation of repatriated refugees to Bosnia and Chile. The report is about to be finished these days.
However, the report concludes that the repatriation process has been most successful for those who were well prepared and well informed before leaving Norway. The most successful projects targeting Bosnians was the INCOR project and a Bosnian newspaper “Bosanska Posta” edited by Bosnians in Norway.
The Chili returnees had been in Norway between 10 and 15 years, and many had difficulties in the reintegration process. In spite of this most of the Chileans decided to stay in Chile, some few went back to Norway.
It is vital for a successful repatriation that the decision about going home is based on a well informed decision. It is also vital that the repatriation is well prepared in exile, to make sure that the re-integration, often after years in exile, goes as smoothly as possible. For refugees with residence in Norway it is important that the repatriation is voluntary and that all issues related to repatriation and re-integration is well considered. Experience shows that a refugee that consider repatriation needs a neutral person to talk and discuss with.
With regards to the involuntary return information and counselling should also be considered as important and necessary, both to secure that rejected asylum seekers can leave Norway in dignity and to emphasise the importance of being well prepared in the re-integration process.
| website sponsored by:
European Union, Church of Sweden Aid, Uppsala, Zentralstelle für Arbeitsvermittlung (ZAV), Frankfurt/M. |
| website administered by: AGEF gGmbH, Berlin, info@agef.de , www.reintegration.net, www.agef.net |