Zarina Saidova was 13 when she and her mother left everything in their home country. Kazakhstan was replaced by Norway and Leirfjord. But a lie from her mother can put an end to life as Zarina knows it. – I had to say that I was from Chechnya. UDI believes she should have told the truth when she turned 18. Now she is being deported from Norway. Joakim Husmo and Zarina Saidova live together in Oslo. They have been lovers for over ten years. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news Perfect integration We rewind time 19 years, to 2005. Ordinary young people hum “You’re beautiful” by James Blunt and try to get hold of Livestrong bracelets. Zarina has other challenges. The mother has made up her mind; they are going to Norway. The 13-year-old has no choice. After a long journey through both Europe and Norway, they end up in the small municipality of Leirfjord in Helgeland. CAME TO LEIRFJORD: – It was very special. I knew nothing about Norway and was unsure how long we would stay, says Zarina to news. Photo: Billy Jacobsen / news 2009 – Mum was very scared and desperate. I realized that this was something we had to do, says Zarina. The contrast with Kazakhstan is great. But Zarina has decided to grab the new life with both hands. – I felt I was looked after very well. The integration was perfect and I learned Norwegian within six months. – And I was allowed to be a child. Zarina says she remembers life in Kazakhstan as a different life. Dønna municipality in Nordland has become important to Zarina. She and her boyfriend visit his home often. A true northerner The years go by. Zarina commutes to Sandnessjøen to go to upper secondary school. She gets a six in Norwegian. All the time she draws – her own therapy. Therapy becomes a passion and Zarina moves to Trondheim to study. – I have a slightly strange dialect, perhaps. A mixture of many different things. But I tell people that I’m from Helgeland. MASTER: Zarina lives in Trondheim for ten years before moving to Oslo to study at the Oslo Academy of Arts. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news After ten years in Trondheim, the road continues to Oslo and the art college. – This school is my “Hogwarts”. My second home. As Zarina grows up, she finds love. Joakim Husmo from Dønna. – She has all the character traits that Norwegians have, but also the traits that Northerners have, says Husmo. – Identity is something that grows. Zarina’s roots are quite deep here. No other way out Life is going well. But living a lie brings with it challenges. – Living without identification in Norway is difficult. You cannot pick up prescriptions. Getting paid is more challenging. I can’t travel. Ever since Zarina came to Norway, she has only had a residence card, not proper identification papers. – We felt that there is no other way out. We had to admit it. – I came here as a child. I have a lot of networks, a job and a partner. I thought that a deportation was unlikely. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news In December, Zarina and her mother decide to lay all their cards on the table. They go to the police themselves and tell about the lie. In April, UDI dealt with the case. “The Directorate of Immigration expels you from Norway and the EU/Schengen area.” says the letter she receives from UDI. – I am just part of the system. A number and a form to be filled out. – It was completely devastating. I got depressed. I had no idea what to do. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news Upset and angry, the UDI writes in the decision that Zarina has given incorrect information about her own identity and citizenship. They write that the violations are gross. Zarina is not to be blamed for her mother’s lie, they write, but emphasize that when she came of age she had an independent duty to inform the authorities of her correct identity. – It is completely inhumane to expect an 18-year-old to turn his back on his mother. She has done everything for me, says Zarina. The mayor of Oslo, Marianne Borgen (SV), tells news that this is a heartbreaking case. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news After the decision, Zarina has used social media to spread information about the case. The story has also reached the mayor’s office in Oslo. – I know I will be upset and angry that an Oslo citizen who contributes to our society will receive a deportation decision, says mayor Marianne Borgen to news. – Also for something the mother did when they came to Norway. We abolished original sin in Norway a long time ago. I think this is completely unreasonable. – It is not a human right to stay in Norway Photo: Kristoffer Steffensen Lenes / news Immigration policy spokesman in FrP, Erlend Wiborg, believes it is a shame that some parents cheat their rights in Norway and thus expose their children to great burdens. But he believes it is very important that Norway follows up the asylum regulations carefully. – If you have cheated yourself to stay in Norway, the only natural consequence is that you lose your residence permit. Wiborg also points out that the legislation is the same for everyone and that it must be followed. – It is not a human right to be able to stay in Norway when you have come here on false grounds. And when you do not have the right to a residence permit in the first place, losing it cannot be considered a punishment. Asking the authorities to turn around Mayor Marianne Borgen emphasizes that we are talking here about a person who was a child when she came to Norway. – The only thing missing was for her to stay. – But she has been here based on a lie. Isn’t it completely right and reasonable that she has to leave Norway? – Now 19 years have passed. It is clear that if one has not been able to find out about such questions before such a long time has passed, then I believe that the table catches. – Zarina has an affinity for our country and contributes to our community. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news The mayor is clear about what she thinks should happen, but she has no power. – There is little the municipality can do. But I have to say, as the mayor of Oslo about a contributor in Oslo, I urge the state authorities to process this case again. – It is the only humanitarian thing to do. Borgen emphasizes that it is possible to allow people to stay in Norway on humanitarian grounds. – If this is not a case where we can base the humanitarian on, then I don’t know what it would be. – It doesn’t pay to tell the truth Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news Lan Marie Berg, parliamentary representative for the MDGs, believes that more discretion should be used in matters like this. – I don’t think you should expect a child to name their parents when they come of age. Imagine if a completely ordinary person who grew up in Norway were to be deported for five years for something their parents did. She asks if it shouldn’t count if you have been good citizens for many years. – The core of this case is about the fact that it shouldn’t pay to lie. But here it clearly doesn’t pay to tell the truth, she says and adds: – No form of judgment or degree of proportionality is shown in the sanctions that are imposed. – She was obliged. Zarina has lodged a complaint against the decision, but the UDI sees the matter as done. It is now with the Norwegian Immigration Service (UNE). UNE states that they cannot comment on the case until it has been dealt with. UDI writes in an e-mail to news that Zarina Saidova cannot be held responsible for the information her mother essentially provided to the Norwegian authorities upon arrival. But they specify that the regulations on residence on an incorrect basis are strict. – She was obliged to provide correct information about her own identity and citizenship from the time she came of age. This duty is absolute. UDI’s head office at Helsfyr in Oslo. Photo: Astrid Engen / news UDI writes further: – The person concerned has several times after she turned 18 deliberately provided incorrect information, including in several applications for travel documents and citizenship. Would not state the mother UDI writes that Zarina several times after she turned 18 deliberately provided incorrect information. Zarina believes she was in an impossible situation – and that it was very difficult for her to give her correct identity because it would harm anyone but her. – If I had given the correct information, I would in practice have given my mother, she says to news. – It is again about the same thing; to indicate one’s own parents as UDI here I think I should have done on the day I turned 18. Nor is there anything in the decision to suggest that the decision would have been different if I had not applied, she continues. Zarina argues that she has seen several decisions from others who are in similar situations – where they have received a new residence permit. – In such decisions, the UDI mentions “a margin of discretion in the Immigration Act” which they choose to use when they wish. This shows inconsistent judgment on their part. In these application forms it is clear that it is a criminal offense to provide incorrect information, writes the UDI and emphasizes that this can lead to revocation and deportation. – Five years of her association with Norway is as a minor, while 12-13 years have been accrued after she came of age. Both she and her mother were granted residence in Norway in 2005 on the basis of incorrect information, concludes the UDI. Does UDI have the opportunity to use discretion? Photo: Silje Rognsvåg / news UDI is aware that the legislation is strict. Does that mean that they have no opportunity to use their discretion in this matter? Spokesperson for the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS), Jon Ole Martinsen, is clear that there is certainly an opportunity to use discretion. – In the law that deals with revocation, the fact that she will lose her permit is a matter of discretion. This means that you can refrain from recalling when there are strong reasonable grounds for doing so. He adds: – As, for example, in this case. Martinsen explains that this also applies to the issue of eviction. – There is also a proportionality assessment that there is certainly room to use in cases like this. He believes it is an important point in this case that Zarina was a child when she came to Norway. – She did not herself give incorrect information when she arrived. But she neglected, to put it a little popularly, to keep quiet about her mother. There are perfectly understandable reasons why it has taken time for her to finally tell the truth about her identity. Martinsen believes that Zarina finally told the truth should benefit her. – In many ways we can say that she has done her duty, and then she should also get her right. – My life is here – What do you think about your future? – I have a lot of hope. It’s so hard to think that I’m going to a country I haven’t been to in 19 years. For me, that life is a fog, Zarina replies and adds: – In a way, it hasn’t happened. My life is here. I, as Zarina, am going to stay here no matter what. The couple visit Nordland twice a year. For Christmas and during the summer holidays. It’s like being at home, says Zarina. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik / news She brags about her boyfriend Joakim, with whom she has been together for over a decade. For him it also feels unreal. – It feels quite absurd and surreal. My boyfriend is one of us and has lived here for 20 years. But then there are those who say that this is not the case. – How will it be for you if she has to leave? – Well. I just want to say that we have no plans other than to fight to the end. I want UDI, UNE and others to see sense. Hi! Do you have any opinions on the matter? Or tips for other matters? What concerns you may soon be interesting for me to hear – send me an e-mail!
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UDI expels the northerner from Norway – believes she should have told about the lie – news Nordland
