Over 31,000 Ukrainian refugees have come to Norway after Russia’s invasion of the country this spring. And by the end of next year, the number may have reached 70,000 people, according to IDMI. But how have they fared in Norway after their arrival? On Tverlandet outside Bodø sit the 19-year-olds Dariia Pletnova and Veronika Tsarfina. They have no doubt that the welcome has been warm since they came to Norway. – When we are at the store, everyone smiles. They don’t care if we are from Ukraine or another country. And when we try to speak Norwegian, they get very happy, says Tsarfina. She looks over at her friend by her side. – We were doing well in Ukraine until the war, but now we are so happy to be here. They praise everything from nature to the food and the opportunities they have been given by the authorities. Nevertheless, they miss life in Ukraine. – Norwegians are the best! Everyone we have met in Norway is kind and happy to help us. It has been like this ever since we arrived until now, says Pletnova. The nature in Norway in particular has positively surprised the two Ukrainian refugees. Photo: Alexander Kjønsø Karlsen / news The experiences of the two 19-year-olds do not seem to be unique. This is revealed in a new survey carried out by the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR) at Oslo Met. The survey was commissioned by the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDI) and the Directorate of Immigration (UDI). And the response is very positive. Among other things, they believe that overall they have been very well received in Norway. Surprised by the result – We are actually surprised that it was so consistent that they are satisfied. In the media we often see the negative stories about things that have not worked. Things have been chaotic, at least until we got things in place. But they have understood that, says Vilde Hernes. ADVANTAGE IN THE SHORT TERM: Vilde Hernes, researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR) at Oslo Met says that Ukrainian refugees have received an advantage, at least in the short term. Photo: Sonja Balci / OsloMet She is a researcher at Oslo Met, and has taken part in the project where they investigated how Ukrainian refugees have experienced their first encounter with Norway. – They say that even if the systems don’t work, the people they meet are on their side and have welcomed them. They are also very satisfied with both school and nursery school. Vilde Hernes emphasizes that no other refugee group has received the same treatment as those who have come from Ukraine. More findings in the survey On a scale from 1 (completely disagree) to 5 (completely agree), the refugees gave a score of 4.4 when they evaluated how they have generally been received in Norway. There is also good feedback for the way they were received by different agencies. The police get 4.6 on the scale from 1 to 5. The reception centers get 4.1, UDI 4.1, Nav 4 and IMDi 4 points. The refugees also generally have very positive experiences with national public actors, such as reception, police, schools, kindergartens and health services. Of these actors, schools and kindergartens score the best. Two out of three say they knew someone in Norway before they came here. One in four say they want to return to Ukraine as soon as the war is over. More than half of the respondents are unsure of what they are going to do. Only 1 percent say they will not participate in the introductory program. 91 per cent say they want to participate in the programme, even if they have already got a job in Norway. SOURCE: The survey “Ukrainian refugees – experiences from the first phase in Norway” from the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR). Treated differently – Just the fact that we are set to do this research is special. It has not been done before, says Hernes. – That in itself says that we are more concerned with how the Ukrainian refugees perceive us. There is a clear difference. It is about adding to the list to give them options that have not been given to other asylum seekers. To be able to stay in Norway, you must go through an introduction programme. Ukrainian refugees have the opportunity to complete the program part-time. They can also get it in English, explains Vilde Hernes. In addition, the pets of Ukrainian refugees have been exempted from the law. In that way, the refugees can bring their animals into Norway. And in some places, the Ukrainians have been allowed to travel by bus for free, while other refugee groups have to pay. – It shows how people have adapted to this group of refugees compared to others, says Hernes. – In the short term, they will benefit from it, but it is not certain that they will in the long term, she emphasizes. For example, Ukrainian refugees have temporary protection, not individual asylum. As a result, it takes much longer before they can possibly apply for permanent residence in Norway, compared to other refugees. In addition, the introduction program for the Ukrainian refugees is shorter than the usual program. – So if they want to stay, they may risk not getting such a good policy in the long term because we have this temporary perspective, says Hernes. Important knowledge Assistant director of IMDI, Halwan Ibrahim, tells news that the survey is important because it provides knowledge about the service offered for the reception and integration of refugees. – The Ukrainian refugees express great gratitude to the Norwegian authorities and the Norwegian people. The respondents in the survey generally have positive experiences with national and local public actors and volunteering. Halwan Ibrahim is assistant director in the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDI). Photo: IMDI – It is the first time such a report has been ordered from the Norwegian authorities. Why only now? – In general, IMDi is concerned with the user perspective and we have a number of other surveys that look after this among other refugee groups and asylum seekers. – Exactly this type of investigation has not been done before, but what is certain is that something similar will be done again, because we see the value of obtaining knowledge at an early stage, says Ibrahim. He does not want to speculate that the special arrangements for the Ukrainian refugees could be a reason for the good response in the survey. – We do not want to speculate on that. Equal public services for all citizens have and remain important.
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Refugees from Ukraine are very satisfied with Norway. Many do not want to go back. – news Nordland
