One in four asylum seekers comes from Turkey this year

UDIUDI: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB scanpix

Turkish citizens top the list of nationalities that have applied for asylum in Norway so far this year. One in four asylum seekers is Turkish, and almost all will be granted stay.

 

A total of 630 asylum seekers from Turkey to Norway have arrived this year, figures show from the Immigration Directorate (UDI) presented Monday.

It is four times as many as last year when there were only 164 asylum seekers from Turkey. In the previous two years, 89 and 96 asylum seekers from Turkey, respectively.

One third of the asylum seekers from Turkey came to Norway in July, a total of 216 people. By comparison, only five came in January.

Most Turks argue that asylum applications are linked to the forbidden Gülen network and pursued by Turkish authorities. So far, most people who have applied for asylum on this basis have received protection in Norway, according to UDI.

Require protection
In view of the high growth, UDI has decided in July to suspend the processing of asylum applications from Turkish citizens ‘for further investigation.’ The investigations are now complete and the processing of applications has been resumed.

In October last year, the Ministry of Justice issued a circular stating that Turkish citizens who are likely to attach to the Gülen network are entitled to protection. UDI has decided that this practice should continue.

“We have concluded that practice, as stated in the ministry’s instructions, is a proper practice and in line with the assessment made in other European countries we usually compare ourselves with,” says Assistant Communications Director Håkon Fenstad in the UDI to NTB.

Nine out of ten may stay
A total of 2,464 asylum seekers have come to Norway in the first three quarters of the year. 64 percent are boys or men. Of the amount; 400 are Afghans, 300 have stated to be from Syria and more than 200 seekers are from Eritrea.

A total of 91 percent of Turkish asylum seekers who received their application last year received a stay. This year, the figure is somewhat lower. Of 99 applications, asylum has been granted in 68 cases. But among the case-tested applications, a yes arrives in nine out of ten cases, UDI’s figures show.

In addition to asylum seekers, Norway has received 7,300 people for family reunification so far this year up to August. On top of that there are 2,000 quota refugees.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today