The Directorate of Immigration taken to court over ‘X-ray age test’

asylum seekers july - UDI familyThe Norwegian Department of Immigration (UDI). Photo Norway Today Media

The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) is being sued for the way the age of asylum seekers is being used. Age tests are controversial. Four Afghan citizens, estimated to be at least 18 years old, are now awaiting the court’s decision according to NRK news. The UDI didn’t believe they were minors, so they didn’t grant them permission to stay. If they emerge the winner in court, they can get their case reconsidered by the UDI.

‘For the four, it is crucial that they were registered as adults rather than children’, said senior adviser, Jon Ole Martinsen, of NOAS to NRK news.

The controversial test involved performing an X-ray of the wrists and teeth.

‘The test is actually designed to give an indication of the final height for children when one knows their age’, said Svein Aarseth of the Norwegian Medical Association’s Ethics Council.

The UDI responded that they use the age determination test with caution, and they see if there is other compelling information which indicates a different age.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today