Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has been toppled after more than a decade of civil war, and millions of Syrians being displaced by the conflict.
Some 38,000 Syrians live in Norway, and the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) has put ongoing asylum applications from those fleeing Syria on hold. The only exception to this is applications from unaccompanied minors.
This means that applications will neither be rejected nor granted while the situation in the country remains unclear.
Meanwhile, the country’s Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl has said that those who know that it is safe to travel back to Syria should do so.
“We encourage Syrians who know they no longer need protection to return home and help rebuild the country. There is no point in being in Norway if you do not need protection,” she told the Norwegian tabloid Dagbladet on Wednesday.
She said the government would provide plane tickets and practical arrangements for Syrians who no longer need asylum in Norway and wish to return home. She said that the government would provide 15,000 kroner in establishment support per person too.
Mehl's political advisor told the paper that those seeking support should contact the UDI about an assisted return.
However, Mehl said that the situation in Syria was unclear.
“The right to asylum is about providing protection from war and persecution. There is an unresolved situation in Syria now, and it may be unsafe for some to return even though it may be safe for many others,” she said.
She did say, when asked by the paper, that the government would eventually consider expelling Syrians from Norway if they no longer needed protection. This likely wouldn’t apply to those who hold residence other than asylum or who have dual citizenship.
Jon Ole Martinsen, senior advisor at the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers, said it would take time to assess whether Syrians were safe to return home.
“It is difficult to set a time, but it certainly cannot be the day [Tuesday] after Assad has escaped. It is far too early, and it is uncertain whether we can talk about this now. First, a functioning transitional government must be in place, elections must be called, and the conflict between the various parties must end. We are talking about several years,” Martinsen told the newspaper Klasseampen on Tuesday.
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