Number of asylum seekers halved
The number of applicants for asylum in Norway has declined by nearly half so far this year. Up to September, 5,238 people had applied for asylum here, 47 percent less than the year before, according to figures from the Police Immigration Unit.
"The decline in the number of asylum seekers is not unique to Norway. It is a tendency we see over nearly all of Europe. That is why it is difficult to point out concrete measures that can explain the decline," said information consultant Roar Hanssen at the PIU.
The largest group of refugees are the 824 (1,988 at this time last year) that claim to be from Afghanistan, who make up 16 percent of the total. Somalians are the next largest group, with 594 (1,584 at the same time last year) applicants so far in 2004, and make up 11.3 percent of asylum seekers.
In third place is Serbia and Montenegro, which includes Kosovo Albanians, followed by asylum seekers from Chechnya, Russia, Iraq and Iran. The PIU says that the pattern of the refugee stream is also changing. Fewer underage asylum seekers are coming to Norway.
"After we began testing the age of asylum seekers claiming to be under 18 fewer have come in this group. The reason is likely that the tests show that many of them who claimed to be minors turned out to be older than 18. Then the rules for gaining residency in Norway are different," said Paula Tolonen, division director at the Directorate of Immigration (UDI).
One thing that hasn't changed is the lack of passports held by asylum seekers. This remains around 94 percent, though some of these do carry some other type of identification papers.
The Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers believes Norway's tougher policies are having an effect.
"It seems as if Norway has gotten a worse reputation among asylum seekers due to its stricter asylum policy the last two years. Also there has been an end to the great catastrophes we have had earlier, like the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and in the Balkans," said Morten Tjessem, secretary general of NOAS.
Via Aftenposten News in English.
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