UDI concerned about consequences of visa exemption for Turkey

asylum seekers july - UDI familyThe Norwegian Department of Immigration (UDI). Photo Norway Today Media

The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) is concerned about increased migration to Norway if citizens of Turkey no longer will require visa  in the Schengen area.

– UDI believes that it will involve an increased risk of migration from Turkey and the surrounding countries immediately if an agreement is reached on visa exemption. Because of this  alternatives to visa-free entry  should be considered instead,   UDI writes in a letter to the Ministry of Justice, which Dagbladet has gained access to. The Immigration unit of the Police  writes that a large number of Turks want to emigrate to Norway, and that this will be easer for them if they no longer need  a visa to travel to countries in the Schengen zone.

The Ministry also envisages that immigration may increase and Secretary Marit Berger Røsland (H) shares UDI’s concern that citizens in other countries acquire visa entry through “falsification or improper acquisition.”

– The question is also debated in the EU, and there are many countries expressing concern,  Røsland says.
Visa exemption for Turkish citizens is an important part of the EU’s refugee deal with Turkey, an agreement the EU hopes will stop the irregular migration traffic in the Aegean. The aim is Turkish visa liberalization by the end of June. Turkey has made it clear that the country expects EU to provide them with this if they are to keep the agreement, but the EU believes Turkey still has not fulfilled all the requirements for obtaining a visa waiver.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today