The case in summary Arlen Khadaa (38) lived at an airport for almost two years and is still stateless three years after he returned to Norway. He has submitted the application for a temporary residence permit in February 2022, but has still not received a decision. His situation creates challenges for the children Eliana (12) and Aaron (6), who are also stateless and have a temporary residence permit. Arlen works at a car workshop and is taking a vocational certificate as a car mechanic, but the lack of a passport has created challenges, for example when the family bought a house. UDI states that Khadaa’s case is being processed and that they have approximately 15 months to wait. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – It makes things difficult that not everything is in place, but I try not to think too much about it, says Arlen Khadaa. Three years ago he was reunited with his wife Kamilla Karimova (32) and children Eliana (12) and Aaron (6) after being separated from them for several years. On 8 October 2020, he arrived in Kristiansand after living at the airport in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, for almost two years. He then received a limited residence permit. The future looked bright. This summer the family bought a house in Kristiansand, but the future has now become uncertain. – When I came back, I thought that everything would be fine, but then the waiting time continues, says Arlen dejectedly. The reason for the uncertainty is that stateless Arlen still does not have a residence permit. He submitted the application for a temporary residence permit in February 2022, but has still not received a decision. In the long term, his goal is to become a Norwegian citizen, but that may take a few years. He must first obtain both a temporary and then a permanent residence permit. The same applies to the rest of the family. See response from UDI further down in the article. This has happened in the case Arlen and his wife Kamilla from Kyrgyzstan are seeking asylum in Norway. Arlen’s mother, brother and sister had already been granted residency in Norway. Arlen is stateless. It is difficult to live like this in Kyrgyzstan where they live. In order to travel to Norway, Arlen obtained a fake Kyrgyz passport. However, in conversations with the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI), he said that he did not have citizenship. Kamilla and Arlen’s asylum application was rejected. They then had their eldest daughter Eliana together. For the next four years, they live in an unknown place in Southern Norway. The police immigration unit transports the family to Kyrgyzstan. Then Kamilla is pregnant with youngest husband Aaron. Only Kamilla could be allowed into the country, but not Arlen or her daughter Eliana. None of them had valid citizenship. Norwegian police therefore decide to send the family back to Norway. On the way back into the plane, Arlen is stopped by a border guard. They believe that further investigations had to be carried out into whether he could still be granted residence. The daughter and his pregnant wife travel back to Norway. Arlen spends the next two years alone in Kyrgyzstan. He hopes to get valid papers and travel to his family in Norway. In January 2019, Arlen gets a visa to Russia and goes to Moscow. The papers turn out to be fake, and he is therefore returned to the airport in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. There he stayed in the transit area. Arlen feared being arrested if he entered Kyrgyzstan. This is because of the false documents he used when he traveled to Moscow. Kamilla and the children are granted temporary residence in Norway. The elder daughter Eliana’s long stay and connection to the country was emphasised. At the same time, Arlen gets his application for residence rejected. The family engages a lawyer. The lawyer notifies a lawsuit against the Immigration Board (UNE) to have the decision overturned. The main argument in the lawsuit concerns violations of human rights, and the right to private and family life. UNE changes the decision out of consideration for the children. As a result, Arlen also gets a limited residence permit in Norway and can travel home. He will arrive in Norway on 8 October. Show more Couldn’t travel to Poland The father’s situation also creates challenges for the children Eliana and Aaron. They have a temporary residence permit, but are stateless since their father is. According to Fædrelandsvennen, who mentioned the matter first, the rules are like this even if they were born in Norway. This summer, Eliana’s corps traveled to Poland on tour. She could not join as she does not have a passport. – It’s a bit awkward that I can’t go on trips with the corps, but I can wait a little longer, Eliana says hopefully. Mamma Kamilla says that the corps will travel to London next summer. Then she crosses her fingers that her daughter can join. – I hope that she does not lose that chance. She is big and understands a lot more. Little brother Aaron is not so keen on travelling. He is happy with a trip to the playground. Kamilla eventually wants to become a nurse. She is now taking a certificate as a healthcare worker. In addition, she takes shifts at a care centre. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news Kamilla is a Kyrgyz citizen and has a temporary residence permit in Norway. The family hopes that they will soon be able to go on holiday out of the country together, all four of them. – We have friends in Sweden, Denmark and Germany who invite us all the time, but I don’t dare to go. According to my experiences, I don’t want to cross the border without proper papers, says Arlen. Arlen Khadaa plays a traditional board game from his native Kyrgyzstan with his son Aaron. – I usually win over dad, says the 6-year-old. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news Works at a car workshop The fact that Arlen does not have a passport has also created other challenges for the family. When they bought a house this summer, it was time to sign the contract. In the end it worked out when Arlen could show an old travel document. He also struggled to get his identity card when he was supposed to take a proficiency test in Norwegian, but that also worked out in the end. Arlen takes a certificate as a car mechanic and works at Vågsbygd Bilverksted. He thrives there. Arlen has always loved tinkering with cars and has therefore chosen to train as a car mechanic. Here he is changing the winter tires on a car at the workplace. Arlen boasts about the working environment at the workshop. Here he is together with general manager Svein Ekre and colleague Remi Pospiesinskas. – Strange that he ends up at the back of the queue Kathrina Reiersølmoen has known the Khadaa family since 2019. Together with several others associated with a congregation on Flekkerøy, she worked hard to get Arlen back to Norway. Reiersølmoen thinks the way the family has faced the challenges together and dealt with them is admirable. – I hope it will now be resolved reasonably quickly and that we will avoid another round of lawyers and fundraising. She thinks it’s incredibly sad that their case is taking so long. Kathrina Reiersølmoen (th) has known the family since 2019. Together with several others, she worked hard to reunite the family and finally succeeded. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news – I think it is strange that he ends up at the back of the queue and follows the pile up when they have already waited so long. Kamilla chooses to think positively about the future. – When Arlen was gone, I tried to think that something good always happened when it was a new year. This is how I try to think now too, because without hope we have nothing. A film team from Sanden Media recently released the documentary “Flyplassmannen” which follows Arlen and his family’s struggle to get him home to Norway. Video: Sanden Media UDI: – Unfortunately, some cases take longer Arlen Khadaa has released UDI from its duty of confidentiality. In an e-mail to news, they state that Khadaa’s case is being processed and that they have approximately 15 months to wait. – What the outcome of the application for renewed residence will be, we cannot say anything about until the case has been processed, says Head of Department Runar Pedersen in the Department of Protection in UDI in an email. Pedersen states that “an assessment will be made as to whether he now meets the conditions for obtaining a residence permit without restrictions, based on the documentation and explanations provided”. – Now almost two years have passed since Khadaa submitted the application. Why has it taken so long? – Unfortunately, some cases take longer than the expected processing time, says Pedersen. Hello! Did you think of anything in particular when you read this story or have any tips for something else I should write about? Feel free to send me an email!
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Arlen Khadaa, who lived at an airport, is still stateless – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
