While 395 so-called October children were able to apply for a new evaluation from UDI for stays in Norway, there were 95 who didn’t meet the deadline.
The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) stated that some applications came in immediately after the expiry deadline on October 2, while the latest arrived one month after the deadline, Aftenposten newspaper reported.
“The regulations from parliament were clear about when applications were to be delivered, and we are in agreement with what parliament decided,” said senior counsellor, Therese Bergwitz-Larsen in UDI’s communication to the newspaper.
Thus, all 95 have had their applications rejected.
On questions from the newspaper about what the UDI did to reach the October children, which in many cases stayed in places without mail and internet networks, Bergwitz-Larsen responded that they went as widely as possible. She mentioned that UDI, among other things, had contacted organizations such as the Norwegian Organization for asylum seekers (NOAS), sailors churches, embassies, county councils,asylum reception centres and legal aid offices.
The October children are persons who came to Norway as unaccompanied minor asylum seekers in the autumn of 2015. They were temporarily residing here until they became 18 years of age when they could be returned to live internally in their home country. Many of them reached 18 in 2017, and in November last year, the majority voted against Fremskrittsparti (Frp) and Høyres’ voices that they should reconsider their cases.
395 of the October children received their application deadlines and have their cases reviewed again. Of these, 255 have been rejected.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
