Norway is expecting twice as many asylum seekers next year

The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) plans for 1,500 asylum seekers to come to Norway this year. Next year, it expects 3,000 asylum seekers.

“For 2020, the room for maneuver is estimated to be up to 2,500 asylum seekers, with a planning figure of 1,500,” the UDI wrote in a new forecast note.

So far this year, around 1,200 asylum seekers have come to Norway. 

About a third of the applicants are from Syria, while around 200 are from Eritrea and Turkey. 

Others come from more than 70 different countries.

The peak month was January, with 226 asylum seekers. 

The number fell to only 35 in April after the coronavirus epidemic struck. 

Then the number rose to 132 in July and then 207 in August, an application number that was higher than what the UDI expected.

Up to 7,000 asylum seekers?

“The number of applicants in recent months has been somewhat higher than we have previously assumed, and we have therefore increased the planning forecast by 300 from the previous assessment,” the UDI wrote.

In recent weeks, between 30 and 40 asylum seekers have come to Norway weekly, and in September, 134 foreigners applied for asylum.

“For 2021, the potential space is estimated to be between 1,000 and 7,000 asylum seekers, with a planning figure of 3,000,” the UDI stated.

The estimates do not cover quota refugees.

Corona can increase migration

The UDI assumes that as long as travel restrictions in Europe and the rest of the world are maintained, the number of new asylum seekers will probably remain low. 

At the same time, the forecasters write that they do not have information that indicates that potential asylum seekers’ motivation to emigrate has decreased.

“We assume that the migration potential is still high and that the economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 measures can further increase the migration potential,” the UDI noted.

In mid-October, 2,100 asylum seekers were living in Norwegian asylum reception centers. 

That is 400 fewer than at the turn of the year. Almost 40% of the residents have been rejected and have a duty to leave, the UDI’s figures show.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today