Norway is changing the social conditions and rules for Ukrainians applying for temporary protected status in the country, in an attempt to reduce the “gap” with conditions in neighboring countries, making Norway a very attractive place to move to.
Source: “European truth” with reference to NRK
Details: The Norwegian government decided to change the conditions for Ukrainians with temporary protection, so as not to additionally attract new people. The changes will affect housing conditions, payments to families with children and the possibility of traveling home to Ukraine.
In particular, they want to cancel the retroactive payment of social assistance for a child for the first 12 months of stay in the country, which is paid after the temporary residence permit is extended at the end of the first year (and at the same time families can receive new monthly payments). Transitional arrangements for families already in Norway at the time of the changes are still being negotiated.
They will strengthen control over trips home to Ukraine for those who receive social benefits in Norway and have a residence permit – so that people who receive payments actually live in Norway most of the time. Trips home will need to be justified, but if they contradict the conditions of the residence permit, this may lead to its loss.
Arriving people in need of accommodation will have to go exclusively to the National Reception Center in the municipality of Rode. The option of accommodation in hotels and recreation centers will no longer be available if people travel to another region – the National Reception Center becomes the only “entry point” for obtaining housing, and they plan to refuse accommodation in hotels altogether.
They also want to introduce a certain “waiting period” before accessing the full package of social support.
The main reason for revising the rules was the great interest in Norway among Ukrainians who moved to Europe because of the war, and more favorable conditions than in neighboring countries. Thus, as of August, payments for Ukrainians in Norway were 2-4 times higher than those that can be counted on in Sweden, and approximately twice as much as in Denmark.
Over the past two months, 50% more Ukrainians came to Norway to apply for temporary protection than the combined total of Denmark, Sweden and Finland, so the country is experiencing increasing strain on the system.
Earlier in October, the government began discussing a program that would encourage Ukrainians arriving in Norway to quickly start working.
In Denmark, according to the latest data, 56% of Ukrainians with temporary protection are officially employed, while in Norway this figure dropped from 19.3% to 18.1% from August to October.
Lithuania also reported in November growing number of Ukrainiansapplying for temporary protection in the country.
Let us remind you that in October the European Union completed all procedures, necessary to extend the temporary protection regime for refugees from Ukraine for one year – from March 4, 2024 to March 4, 2025.
2023-12-07 14:29:18
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