Removal of all the special arrangements for refugees

Oslo.Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Anniken Hauglie ( Conservative Party ).Photo : Terje Pedersen / NTB scanpix

Minister of Labour Anniken Hauglie wants to remove the specific arrangements refugees have as of today and give them a necessity-tested minimum benefit. – The goal is to get more people into jobs so that they can live on their own income, she says.

– By removing special rights for refugees, they are treated equally with Norwegians who have been living abroad and have not worked in country, or payed into local insurance scemes. It is fair and reasonable, she says to newspaper VG.

Monday, the government will present a proposal for major revisions to the welfare benefits as they are today. This means that refugees who come to Norway, will no longer gain membership in the National Insurance Scheme from day one – which gives them full retirement pension and other social security benefits without a qualifying period.

The proposal also entails the need to renew the application for necessity-tested minimum benefit each year in person at Nav. The number of days you can stay abroad without losing the benefit, is simultaneously halved from 90 days to 45 days.

– The change will mainly apply to the 30,000 refugees who arrived last year, says Hauglie.

The proposal will be submitted for consultation and then to Parliament. It is intended that the changes to take effect by next summer.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today