Norway is tightening its grip on Ukrainian refugees. The austerity measures are taking place along five tracks: Information about requirements for working time New accommodation requirements Hotel austerity Cuts in child benefit Cuts in access to home trips More about the austerity measures: Child benefit Up until now, Ukrainians (and others) have received child benefit in arrears when their temporary residence permit is extended beyond the first year. In practice, this has meant that you will receive back-paid child benefit for the entire first year in Norway in one lump sum, while at the same time you have been entitled to further child benefit and receive this monthly. The subsequent payment for the first 12 months is a scheme the government now proposes to remove. This group will already be financially protected in the first year through the reception system and the introduction program. Therefore, the Ministry of Children and Families will submit a proposal for consultation to repeal the current system of late payment of child benefit for everyone who now comes to Norway. For those in Norway, some transitional rules will be necessary. In the hearing, the government will assess whether those who are in Norway, but who have not been here for 12 months before the change in the law, will also be covered by the change. Home journeys Ukrainians’ access to travel back and forth between Ukraine and Norway will be tightened. If such a trip is in conflict with the prerequisites for the residence permit, the UDI can initiate proceedings for the revocation of the residence permit. This is already common practice for other nationalities where asylum status has been granted. I do this, among other things, to ensure that people who receive benefits in Norway also stay here. There will still be access to travel back to your home country if you have a legitimate purpose for the trip. National reception center People who need accommodation in an asylum reception center must from now on contact the police and UDI at the National reception center in Råde municipality. Accommodation or transport will no longer be offered to those who have traveled to other parts of the country. Any exceptions to this will only be for single minors or persons in a particularly vulnerable situation. All asylum seekers who turn to the National Reception Center are offered reception accommodation there. The use of hotels Accommodation in hotels and the like will no longer be arranged for persons who wish to travel to a place other than the National Reception Centre. The reception center is the gateway to the reception system. In addition, the use of hotels and the like as asylum reception centers will generally be tightened. The clear main rule is that asylum seekers are offered accommodation in ordinary asylum reception centres. The government will also actively inform that there is a requirement for refugees to have a waiting period in order to be able to access a range of benefits through the national insurance. The background is the massive influx and questions about whether Norway has too generous schemes compared to our neighboring countries. As an opportunity to stay in a hotel when you arrive in Norway, instead of registering at the reception center in Råde. – We will still have generous arrangements, but we will move away from using the most expensive and finest hotels, so that it will not be a draw, says Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp), justice and emergency minister. Today, Ukrainian refugees with children can have one year of child benefit paid in arrears when they have been in Norway for 12 months. This will now stop, if the government’s proposals go through. – The late payment will be replaced with ongoing child benefit from year two, says Minister for Employment and Inclusion, Tonje Brenna (Ap). – The government’s aim is for Norway’s income to come more on a level with the income of our neighboring countries, says Minister for Employment and Inclusion, Tonje Brenna (Ap). Photo: Emilie Holtet / NTB In the last two months, Norway has received 50 percent more Ukrainians than Denmark, Sweden and Finland have received combined. The consequence of the Norwegian “pull factor” is great pressure on the service offer around the country. Among those who have warned about the situation are the KS national board and mayors across the country. Osterøy mayor Lars Fjellstad (Sp) tells news that the municipality “must take its responsibility and serve those we can”. – But then we are dependent on an arrangement that is sustainable over time. It cannot continue at this pace. So far, the residents of the municipality are positive about immigration, but if the quality of the municipal services goes down, and the waiting times go up, the mayor fears the consequences. – Then I am afraid that more people will change their attitude and become more critical. We don’t want that. – Over time, we will not be able to pay this burden, says Osterøy mayor Lars Fjellstad. Photo: Simon Skjelvik Brandseth / news news is aware that there has been growing concern within the government that the municipalities simply cannot follow up on the latest order from the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (Imdi). Birgit Oline Kjerstad, refugee policy spokesperson for SV, says it is a bad idea to cut child benefit: – There are a large number of refugees from Ukraine in the food queues around the country. We do not affect their situation by removing this important contribution. Instead of cutting the rights of Ukrainian refugees, they should be given equally good rights. Høgre: – Does not solve the challenges Mari Holm Lønseth, immigration policy spokesperson in Høgre – The Government’s proposal is a start, but does not solve the challenges the municipalities are already facing. Many municipalities and local communities are at breaking point, especially within schools, health, kindergartens and access to housing. The warning lights have been flashing around the country for months without the government having done anything. It is good that the government is now finally coming up with measures. We are positive about this, but will go into the proposal carefully. Now the government must show action and come up with a plan to deal with the refugee crisis we are in. We must do more to help those who have already entered work and activity. An important measure to get more people into work and activity more quickly is to provide more Norwegian training. More Norwegian training can be given digitally, also in the evening to be able to combine it with work. Here the government should come up with clearer requirements and expectations for the municipalities and each individual. Gunn Marit Helgesen, chairman of KS – There is still a great will to house and integrate Ukrainian refugees, but the municipalities have started to face capacity challenges and notice that high incomes go beyond the service offer in the municipality. It is good that the government has implemented measures now. So I have to follow up to see what effect this has. There is still a need to support the municipalities in their work. Municipalities today struggle the most with acquiring housing. But there are also major challenges in arranging services in the other municipal areas such as health, schools and kindergartens. It is also a challenge to get people into work quickly as they are not entitled to the same Norwegian training as others. KS has previously pointed out that the most important measures to ease the work in the municipalities are housing initiatives, under which further subsidies are given to rental housing. In addition, the subsidy for language training must be increased, more measures through NAV for, among other things, work experience, support schemes to motivate employers to take in work experience and faster approval of education from abroad. The national reception center in Råde. Photo: Jil Yngland / NTB Ukrainians in Norway: – This makes it more difficult Kateryna Kurdiuk from Ukraine sits in Tromsø. – It is hard enough to live without having a fixed place to live. The fact that there are stricter requirements does not make it easier, she says. Ukrainians have collective protection. – I don’t know how this will affect me, and how it will affect the number of refugees from Ukraine to Norway, she says. Kateryna Kurdiuk is unsure whether this will mean that fewer people come to Norway. Photo: Hans L. Andreassen / news – The level must be sustainable over time The December austerity comes on top of previous measures. – We will continue to stand up and take our share of the responsibility, but the level of income must be sustainable over time, said Minister for Employment and Inclusion, Tonje Brenna (Ap), to news on 27 November. In October, the ministry submitted for consultation a proposal to order municipalities to establish and operate an interim accommodation offer for asylum seekers if necessary. In the same month, the government announced that it would “spearhead” the introduction program to stimulate more Ukrainians to enter working life more quickly. In Denmark, 56 per cent of the Ukrainian refugees are employed. In Norway, the figure has fallen from 19.3 per cent (August) to 18.1 per cent (October). Sweden does not have comparable figures, but is closer to Denmark than Norway. In 2022, this hotel in Stavanger was used as a reception center for Ukrainian refugees. Photo: Øystein Otterdal / Øystein Otterdal – The challenges cannot be solved with money alone The Progress Party calls today’s move “a good start”, but believes that more needs to be done. – The differences between Norway and our neighboring countries are extremely large. Especially the number of refugees, but also when we look at the benefits and how many refugees from Ukraine have found work, says Hans Andreas Limi, deputy leader of the Frp. In August, the Fafo report Different policies, different outcomes showed that the introduction allowance is almost nine times higher in Norway than in Sweden. It goes without saying that Ukrainians in Sweden receive other benefits that somewhat compensate for the difference. The conclusion was nevertheless that the benefits – as of August 2023 – were 2–4 times higher in Norway than in Sweden. Compared to Denmark, the Norwegian benefit level was approximately twice as large. Ukrainian flag in a window in Nordfjord. Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) spoke for the Ukrainian refugees in the Storting a month ago. By then, Norway had already settled 50,000 Ukrainians. – These capacity challenges cannot be solved with money alone, the service offer is not very elastic in the short term, she said. Photo: arne stubhaug / no
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The government is taking measures to reduce the flow of refugees from Ukraine – news Vestland
