Why has Oslo taken in a low number of Ukrainian refugees?
Norwegian capital Oslo has the capacity to take in thousands of refugees from Ukraine but has so far only received 31 arrivals from state authorities, according to a report.
Although the Oslo city government quickly arranged 2,000 available places for Ukrainian refugees to be accommodated in the city shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, only a small number have so far been placed in the city by central authorities, local media Vårt Oslo reports.
The low number is not a result of a lack of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Norway in general, with 14,536 persons from Ukraine having so far applied for asylum in the country according to recent data from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).
A elected official from the Oslo city government said in comments reported by Vårt Oslo that the low number was related to a backlog at the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (Integrerings- og mangfoldsdirektoratet, IMDi).
“We have received 31 Ukrainian refugees who must be housed,” the city council’s deputy deputy leader and head of finance Einar Wilhelmsen told Vårt Oslo.
“We have been quite frustrated about how slowly it’s going. The reason it’s going slowly is that refugees must be registered while they are still at asylum centres,” he said.
Part of the registration process conducted by IMDi includes asking refugees three questions, according to Wilhelmsen’s comments to the media.
“I have now found out what the three questions are: Do you have significant health problems, do you have relations or a network in Norway that must be taken into consideration; and do you have pets,” he said.
IMDi last week acknowledged the slow progress of registrations and distribution to municipalities for resettlement of refugees from Ukraine. The agency also stressed that a number of bottlenecks had now been resolved.
“We expect 250-400 refugees to be registered each day. We then expect a clear increase in resettlements,” the IMDi director, Libe Rieber-Mohn, said last week according to media Kommunal Rapport.
The agency said capacity has been increased and arrival questionnaires simplified.
But Wilhelmsen called for further streamlining of the process.
“Registration of health issues is not hugely relevant for people who are resettled in Oslo. We have good health services and a compact municipality, so it’s not so important,” he said to Vårt Oslo.
“Having a network elsewhere can be important, but shouldn’t be the reason for delaying resettlement of Ukrainian refugees,” he said.
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Although the Oslo city government quickly arranged 2,000 available places for Ukrainian refugees to be accommodated in the city shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, only a small number have so far been placed in the city by central authorities, local media Vårt Oslo reports.
The low number is not a result of a lack of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Norway in general, with 14,536 persons from Ukraine having so far applied for asylum in the country according to recent data from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).
A elected official from the Oslo city government said in comments reported by Vårt Oslo that the low number was related to a backlog at the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (Integrerings- og mangfoldsdirektoratet, IMDi).
“We have received 31 Ukrainian refugees who must be housed,” the city council’s deputy deputy leader and head of finance Einar Wilhelmsen told Vårt Oslo.
“We have been quite frustrated about how slowly it’s going. The reason it’s going slowly is that refugees must be registered while they are still at asylum centres,” he said.
Part of the registration process conducted by IMDi includes asking refugees three questions, according to Wilhelmsen’s comments to the media.
“I have now found out what the three questions are: Do you have significant health problems, do you have relations or a network in Norway that must be taken into consideration; and do you have pets,” he said.
IMDi last week acknowledged the slow progress of registrations and distribution to municipalities for resettlement of refugees from Ukraine. The agency also stressed that a number of bottlenecks had now been resolved.
“We expect 250-400 refugees to be registered each day. We then expect a clear increase in resettlements,” the IMDi director, Libe Rieber-Mohn, said last week according to media Kommunal Rapport.
The agency said capacity has been increased and arrival questionnaires simplified.
But Wilhelmsen called for further streamlining of the process.
“Registration of health issues is not hugely relevant for people who are resettled in Oslo. We have good health services and a compact municipality, so it’s not so important,” he said to Vårt Oslo.
“Having a network elsewhere can be important, but shouldn’t be the reason for delaying resettlement of Ukrainian refugees,” he said.
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