Norwegian Directorate of Immigration tightens visa rules for Russians

Norwegian authorities are tightening visa rules for Russians after an increase in the number of asylum applications from Russian citizens.

As a general rule, friends and girlfriends of people living in Norway will be denied entry. Russians who want to visit siblings in Norway will also find it more difficult. Applications for tourist visas will also usually be rejected, the UDI informed Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).

The authorities fear that Russians who come to Norway will not go home again.

According to the UDI, 13 Russians applied for asylum in Norway throughout 2021. At the end of May this year, 126 applications had been received. In total, almost 20,000 asylum seekers have come to Norway this year, of which about 18,500 are Ukrainians.

In a letter to the Ministry of Justice, the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) writes “that the emigration potential from Russia is significant.”

Emigration potential

“In the assessment of the emigration potential from Russia, we have made an overall assessment of the political, economic, and social conditions in Russia,” department head Håvard Sæthre wrote in an email to NRK.

The tightening does not hit all groups equally hard. Parents, children, and spouses can still visit Norway. For Russian business people, getting a visa to Norway will be more difficult (but not impossible).

It will still be possible to get asylum for Russians who have been persecuted by the authorities. 

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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