UDI and police to use digital traces to expose those who lie on asylum applications

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

The Immigration Directorate (UDI) and the Police Immigration Unit (PU) will use high technology to expose asylum seekers and foreigners who lie and cheat on their applications.

 

Immigration Minister Sylvi Listhaug (Frp) presented a new asylum tracking system on Tuesday, where all asylum seekers on arrival will be gathered in a large reception area.

Kaja Gade Kjerschow from UDI has been working on the plans for a new arrival center.

“We will achieve better quality and control by spending more time with them as soon as they arrive with the aim of preventing mistakes later in the process,” she told Aftenposten. Together with UDI experts, the police will analyze the information, clarify the identity and prepare further interviews with the asylum seeker.

At the new reception, experts will be gathered to analysis and gather information to verify identification and research digital history on the person. Gade Kjerschow says that, this way we can detect if the person may pose a security risk and if police and security services should be involved.

In recent years UDI’s major challenge is identification, approximately 10 percent of asylum seekers have a passport when they arrive to Norway, writes the newspaper.

In order to use digital history and footprints to gather information to verify the applicants identity and asylum history there is a requirement for extended authorization is needed.

The Ministry of Justice issued a new bill in January, which suggests routine visitation, probable cause to wire tapping of mobiles and access to digital media storage of asylum seekers. The Ministry states that they are still working on a follow-up of the consultation.

 

©  NTB Scanpix / Norway Today