Sharp decline in the number of Somalis who receive citizenship

Norwegian PassportNorwegian Passport. Photo: Norway Today Media

60 percent fewer Somalis were granted Norwegian citizenship last year compared with the previous year. The reason is doubt about identity, says UDI.

Figures from the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and Statistics Norway (SSB) show a decrease in the numbers of granted citizenship to applicants from Somalia, writes the newspaper Klassekampen.

Figures show that 700 fewer Somalis were granted Norwegian citizenship last year compared with the previous year – a decline of 60 percent.

Acting Area Manager in Immigration, Maria Andersson said they have tightened the requirements for identity clarification of Somalis on the basis of cases of identity fraud.

– A not insignificant number of applicants who have stated to be from Somalia have in reality been citizens of neighboring countries to Somalia, said Andersson, adding that increased knowledge has given UDI and the police a better basis for determining whether the applicant has supplied the correct identity.

– We uncover more cases where the identity is not sufficiently clarified today than we did a few years back. This implies that more people will be able rejected on their application for Norwegian citizenship, says Andersson.

Bashe Musse in Somali network said several Somalis were asked by UDI to document information they thought was already clarified.

– Many people find interviews as intrusive. This creates uncertainty, fear and a sense of exclusion due to not to being believed, says Musse.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today

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