Asylum seekers who came over the border from Russia last year and who no longer have a valid visa to Russia, will have their applications processed in Norway.
It has become clear after the Justice Department gave new instructions to the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) on Wednesday.
According to TV2, around 1,300 asylum seekers have been rejected by the now abandoned Storskog-practice, which stated that it would be safe for them to return to Russia and seek asylum there.
This applies to asylum seekers who had multiple visas or temporary residence permits in Russia, but Russian authorities have refused to accept them. Syrians make up the majority of this group.
The Ministry of Justice has stressed that the change in practice does not apply to asylum seekers who came from Russia and still have a valid visa to the country.
The new instructions are justified by the fact that returning this group to Russia is no longer considered feasible.
– On the basis of a practice submission from UDI, the Ministry of Justice has today given new instructions to UDI and the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE), which means that asylum seekers who came over to Storskog in autumn 2015 and that had a multiple-entry visa or residence permit in Russia that has expired in time, can now get their asylum application processed in Norway.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
