UNHCR Baltic and Nordic Headlines (uutiskirje)

[Roope]

Tuesday 21 February to Wednesday 22 February 2012

The majority of quota refugees from Afghanistan

Finland 

This year Finland will receive mainly quota refugees who are from Afghanistan, Myanmar and Democratic Republic of the Congo. On Monday 20 February the Ministry of the Interior decided on accepting 750 quota refugees this year. Finland will accept 200 Afghan refugees from Iran, 150 of Myanmar from Thailand, and 150 Congolese from Rwanda. In addition to this, Finland will accept a pool of 150 refugees originating from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Somalia and 100 so-called emergency cases. Finland has accepted 750 quota refugees every year since 2001.The allocation of quota refugees is based on a proposal by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

    YLE 20 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    YLE 20 February 2012 (in English)
    Svenska YLE 20 February 2012 (in Swedish)
    Hufvudstadsbladet 20 February 2012 (in Swedish)
    Kotimaa24 20 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Etelä-Suomen Sanomat 20 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Suomen Kuvalehti 20 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Bulevardi 20 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Verkkouutiset 21 February 2012 (In Finnish)

Quota refugees need motivated municipalities

Finland 

The discussion about accepting quota refugees that started last March in Pohjois-Savo may proceed to the decision making phase during the spring. On Monday 20 February an event was held at the Regional Council of Iisalmi, where municipalities who have already accepted quota refugees talked about their experiences. According to Lisbeth Mattsson, Head of Immigration at the North Savo Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, it is important that municipalities receive all possible information before decisions are made. – When accepting quota refugees it is important to remember the so-called two way integration where both the refugee and the municipality are motivated, she says.

    Iisalmen Sanomat 21 February 2012 (in Finnish)

Directorate of Immigration lacks funding

Iceland 

The number of asylum-seekers in Iceland has increased remarkably during the last few years. Meanwhile the allocation of money to the Icelandic Directorate of Immigration has not gone up. – The Directorate of Immigration (UTL) is understaffed, underpaid and overworked, and needs more funding from the Parliament to do its job effectively, says Kristín Völundardóttir Director of UTL. It currently takes about a year for UTL to process an asylum application, a timeframe that could be cut in half if UTL was to hire a few more lawyers, Kristín Völundardóttir adds.

    The Reykjavík Grapevine 21 February 2012 (in English)

Six people seek asylum in Latvia

Latvia 

Three teenagers from Abkhazia [Georgia] crossed the border into Latvia and applied for asylum this week. On the same day, three citizens from the Democratic Republic of Congo with counterfeited Italian ID cards also crossed the border, and have now applied for asylum. Meanwhile, the border guards at Liepaja did not let a Russian national cross the border as he was banned from entering the Schengen countries.

    Baltic News Service 21 February 2012

Conflict in Somalia – world's largest humanitarian crisis

UNHCR in the news   

The prolonged conflict in Somalia has led to the world's largest humanitarian crisis with 2,3 million Somalis displaced, says the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Over half a million Somalis are currently living in Kenya. The Kakuma refugee camp has 88,429 inhabitants half of whom are children and young persons. There is not enough food available and malnutrition and diarrhoea remain serious problems. According to UNHCR, just 36 per cent of the children have access to education.

    Dagens Nyheter 22 February 2012 (in Swedish)

[Roope]

Thursday 23 February to Friday 24 February 2012

Danish Immigration Service wants to correct statelessness issue

Denmark 

Last year it was revealed that the Danish Immigration Service had failed to identify several stateless persons as stateless. This is important since stateless persons born in Denmark are entitled to Danish citizenship. Now the Immigration Service wants to correct all mistakes made and during the next months it will send out letters to a broad range of possible stateless persons from Syria, Myanmar, and Bhutan, who have a Danish residence permit. The Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) and Danish Refugee Council (DRC) are pleased with the Immigration Service's efforts to correct the errors made.

    Information 22 February 2012 (in Danish)

Danish asylum policy violates Conventions

Denmark 

Last weeks' debate on rejected asylum-seekers who have converted to Christianity and are being sent back to their home countries make experts talk with one voice; it is a clear violation of the UN Conventions. UNHCR's guidelines on religion-based refugee claims clearly states that "religious belief, identity or way of life can be seen as so fundamental to human identity that one should not be compelled to hide, change or renounce this in order to avoid persecution." In one specific case the Danish Refugee Appeals Board recognises the conversion of an Afghan man, but does not think he will be persecuted if being deported. Instead he is encouraged to avoid exposing himself as Christian. Professor of law and previous member of the Danish Refugee Appeals Board, Jens Vedsted-Hansen, says that there is no doubt that the Danish Refugee Appeals Board violates the Refugee Convention. – You cannot deport people whose conversion you recognise, he says.

    Berlingske 24 February 2012 (in Danish)
    BT 24 February 2012 (in Danish)
    Kristeligt Dagblad 24 February 2012 (in Danish)

Majority of asylum-seekers have experienced violence

Finland 

In Finland the majority of asylum-seekers have experienced some level of violence, but the reception centres deal with the issue to a varying degree. The employees at the Multicultural Women's Association in Finland (MONIKA) have been trained to identify and assist victims of violence. In addition to the training, MONIKA has also produced multilingual material for asylum-seekers about the rights and services in Finland.

    Turun Sanomat 22 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Helsingin Sanomat 23 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Verkkouutiset 22 February 2012 (in Finnish)

Somali asylum-seekers may wait longer for decisions

Norway 

Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) has suggested changes for Somali asylum-seekers that may result in prolonged processing times for some cases. The changes follow a decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) regarding two Somalis with criminal records who were rejected asylum in Great Britain. The two Somalis appealed the verdict arguing that they could not return to Somalia due to the security situation in the country. According to ECtHR deportation would have been a breach against its core principles.

    Aftenposten 23 February 2012 (in Norwegian)
    VG Nett 23 February 2012 (in Norwegian)

Ljusdal to receive around 60 refugees

Sweden 

The municipality of Ljusdal has signed a contract with the Swedish Migration Board about receiving 50-70 refugees per year. In 2011 a total of 60 refugees came to the municipality. The refugees that come to Ljusdal have been selected in consultation with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the Swedish Migration Board and the municipality. The refugees come directly to the municipality from any of the refugee camps around the world that are run by the UN.

    Hela Hälsningland 23 February 2012 (in Swedish)

Expected increase in applications for family reunification

Sweden   

The recent ruling of the Swedish Migration Board makes it easier for people from countries where official identity documents are hard to find to apply for family reunification. The decision makes it possible to identify family members through DNA testing. The decision is believed to significantly increase the ability of families to reunite. The Swedish Migration Board estimates that the number of Somali family reunification applications may increase by 18,500 this year. Overall the number of people applying for family reunification in Sweden is believed to increase by 45 per cent, to about 59,500 applications compared to 41,000 in 2010.

    Dagens Nyheter 22 February 2012 (in Swedish)
    SVT 22 February 2012 (in Swedish)
    Skånskan 22 February 2012 (in Swedish)
    Göteborgs-Posten 23 February 2012 (in Swedish)

UNHCR helps Syrian refugees in Jordan

UNHCR in the news 

For the first time since the riots in Syria begun last spring, the Jordanian authorities now provide numbers of how many Syrians have crossed into Jordan. According to Jordanian authorities only 2,000 people have applied for help. However, UNHCR in Amman states that it right now helps some 3,500 Syrian refugees in Jordan.

    Tromso 23 Feburary 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Møre si nettutgåve 24 February 20102 (in Norwegian)

Uganda after close down of UNHCR last office in camp

UNHCR in the news 

More than 1,8 million internally displaced Ugandans have returned to their home villages after living in camps for several years. Two months ago UNHCR closed down its last office in Uganda and declared one of the world's biggest crisis concerning internally displaced persons (IDP's) over. Some 95 per cent of the persons living in camps in 2006 have now returned to their home villages.

    Kristeligt Dagblad 24 February 2012 (in Danish)

[Roope]

Saturday 25 February to Monday 27 February 2012

UNHCR: Danish asylum procedure clearly violates 1951 Convention

Denmark   

The procedure of the Danish Refugee Appeal Board regarding rejected asylum-seekers who have converted has been criticised by Amnesty, human rights specialists and now UNHCR. – Faith can be such an integral part of a person's identity that you cannot demand that the person shall hide his or her faith in order to avoid persecution. To deny someone refugee status by demanding that the person hides his or her religious beliefs is not in coherence with the protection principles of the 1951 Refugee Convention, says Hanne Mathisen, spokesperson for UNHCR Regional Office for the Baltic and Nordic countries.

    Kristeligt Dagblad 25 February 2012 (in Danish)

Norway gives 22 million NOK to help Syrian refugees

Norway 

-I am extremely worried that Syrian authorities do not give aid organisations access to provide emergency assistance in the conflict zone, says Jonas Gahr Støre Minister of Foreign Affairs. The money will go to humanitarian organisations helping Syrian refugees both in Syria and refugee camps in the neighbouring countries Lebanon and Jordan.

    P5 25 February 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Indre.no 24 February 2012 (in Norwegian)

Reception centres are not safe

Norway 

The murder of a young Iranian asylum-seeker in Dale reception centre has been discussed widely the last few weeks. Now a researcher states that reception centres are unsafe. - There are daily incidents which are not reported and there is a low threshold for violence and conflict in reception centres, says Girum Zeleke researcher of social work at Stavanger University. He adds that there is a tendency not to report on these incidents.

    Nettavisen 25 February 2012 (in Norwegian)

ECtHR condemns Italy for sending back African migrants

UNHCR in the news 

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that Italy violated human rights by sending back migrants crossing the Mediterranean by boat even before they arrived at the coast of Italy. – It was against national and international law to reject a boat full of men, women, and children in the middle of the Mediterranean without knowing their identity or the reason as to why they flee, says Laura Boldrini, spokesperson for UNHCR. According to UNHCR, at least 1,000 people have been intercepted and rejected, and subsequently sent back to Libya. During the uprisings in 2011, Italy suspended a 2008 deal with Libya on sending migrants back. UNHCR is worried since the deal has been resumed with the new Libyan Government without explicitly suspending the practice of sending back refugees.

    Information 24 February 2012 (in Danish)

70,000 refugees already crossed into Jordan

UNHCR in the news 

The unrest in Syria has caused thousands of people to flee. UNHCR and the Jordanian authorities face challenges in assisting these refugees. – Many of these people are severely traumatised and therefore very suspicious of authorities, which also complicates our work in trying to map out what their needs are, says Andrew Harper UNHCR's Jordan Representative.

    Klassekampen 25 Feburary 2012 (in Norwegian)

[Roope]

Tuesday 28 February to Wednesday 29 February 2012

Municipalities reluctant in receiving quota refugees

Finland 

Some 400 already accepted quota refugees are still waiting in refugee camps to come to Finland. The reason for the waiting is that most of the Finnish municipalities are not interested in receiving quota refugees. The situation has not improved despite the government's efforts to encourage municipalities by granting four years of financial support. According to the Finnish Immigration Service, due to the unwillingness of municipalities, Finland has not been able to receive all the quota refugees in recent years it has committed to accepting. Now the Ministry of Employment and the Economy tries to push municipalities with a special project that also hopes to encourage those municipalities to participate who have accepted quota refugees in previous years but have since stopped to grant places.

    Turun Sanomat 28 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Verkkouutiset 28 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Svenska Yle 28 February 2012 (in Swedish)

Conference regarding Latvian Citizenship law amendments

Latvia 

A conference with the aim of influencing upcoming amendments to the Latvian Citizenship law is to be held in Riga on 2 March. Amongst its guests are experts from all across Europe as well as representatives of the Latvian Diaspora. A range of topics are to be discussed, such as the questions of dual citizenship and whether children born to non-citizens in Latvia are to be given citizenship. The amendments are necessary in order to correspond to EU regulation.

    Baltic News Summary 28 February 2012 (in English)

Norway has received and resettled 24,000 quota refugees since 1970

Norway 

A new report from Statistics Norway shows that Norway has received 24,000 refugees for resettlement since 1970. The report also shows that the refugees were mostly from Iran, Iraq and Vietnam in the 90's and 80's, whereas the last decade they have been from Myanmar, DRC and Afghanistan.

    VG Nett 27 February 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Hardanger Folkeblad 27 February 2012 (in Norgwegian)
    Hamar Arbeiderblad 27 February 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Møre si nettutgåve 27 February 2012 (in Norwegian)

Asylum espionage a problem in Norway

Norway 

The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) admits that at least 10 countries carry out espionage on asylum-seekers in Norway. – It can be carried out by diplomats or their associates contacting the asylum-seeker. But there are also asylum-seekers who are in Norway to report and inform about other asylum-seekers, says Erik Haugland from PST. Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) fears that it is just a matter of time before espionage can lead to serious incidents.

    NRK 28 February 2012 (in Norwegian)

Family reunification to Sweden expected to increase

Sweden 

The number of people seeking Swedish residence permit due family reunification is expected to increase by 45 per cent in 2012. A substantial number of the applicants are children seeking to be reunited with their families. Previously the majority of applicants were rejected due to lack of proof of identity, but now DNA samples are to be used. In Kronobergs county alone, 500 Somali children are expected to be reunited with their families.

    Sveriges Radio Ekot 28 February 2012 (in Swedish)

Swedish government facing criticism over deportation

Sweden 

The Swedish Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, Tobias Billström, is to answer criticism in Parliament raised against the Swedish Migration Board. Specifically, he is to answer whether the government can guarantee that the Swedish Migration Board, when considering deportation cases, has reliable information concerning the security situation of individuals when arriving in their country of origin. The question was raised after the deportation of reverent Jean Kabuidibuidi to the Democratic Republic of Congo, whom upon arrival was arrested and subsequently tortured. There have been four previous attempts to deport the reverent, all which were stopped.

    Nyheter 24 28 February 2012 (in Swedish)

[Roope]

Thursday 1 March to Friday 2 March 2012

Spying on refugees on the increase

Finland 

The annual report of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO) shows that spying on foreigners residing in Finland has increased. Dissidents and refugees face regular surveillance by foreign intelligence services who try to keep an eye on their citizens who live abroad. In worst cases this can lead to relatives being tortured back in their home countries. "Refugee spying" is illegal in the other Nordic countries, but not in Finland.

    Yle 1 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    Yle Svenska nyheter 1 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Yle 1 March 2012 (in English)

Number of asylum-seekers dropped significantly

Finland   

Statistics from the Finnish Immigration Service show that the number of asylum-seekers dropped by almost a quarter and the number of residence permit applicants also decreased by a few per cent in 2011 compared to 2010. One out of three asylum-seekers was granted either asylum or a residence permit. Iraq and Somalia remained the top two countries of origin. Syrians were for the first time among the top ten nationalities seeking asylum, with an increase of 62 per cent in the number of applications compared to 2010.

    Aamulehti 29 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Helsingin Sanomat 29 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Keskisuomalainen 29 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Iltalehti 29 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    MTV 3 Uutiset 29 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Verkkouutiset 29 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Yle 29 February 2012 (in Finnish)
    Yle Svenska nyheter 29 February 2012 (in Swedish)
    Åbo Underrättelser 29 February 2012 (in Swedish)
    Österbottens tidning 29 February 2012 (in Swedish)

AUF: Norway's asylum policy inhumane and unfair

Norway 

Norwegian Labour Party's youth organisation (AUF) calls for changes in the policy regarding undocumented children in Norway.  – The children's attachment to the country, language, and culture must weigh more than immigration policy, says Linn Kristin Engø from AUF in Hordaland. AUF is ashamed of the treatment of 400 undocumented children in Norway.

    Bergens Tidende 1 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Few people lacking legal residence seek medial care

Sweden 

During the last four years, people without a residence permit have been able to seek medical care in Skåne County. Despite this, few have sought medical care; out of an estimated 2,000 people, only 125 sought assistance last year. Fear of repercussions is seen as a possible cause. Those who do seek help do so mainly because of issues related to anxiety, stomach problems and lack of sleep.

    SVT Sydnytt 2 March 2012 (in Swedish)

SD seeks to abolish agreement with the Swedish Migration Board

Sweden 

A member of the Swedish Democrats is attempting to abolish Ånge municipality's agreement with the Swedish Migration Board. The agreement, which dates back to 2007, requires the municipality to accept around 20 refugees each year. The bill will now be discussed within the Municipality.

    Sundsvalls Tidning 1 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Thousands of Malian refugees seek shelter in Niger

UNHCR in the news 

In the last few months, an armed conflict has emerged between the Malian Government and independence seeking Tuareg rebels of the Liberation Army of Azawad (MNLA). As a consequence, UNHCR estimates that 44,000 people have become refugees, of whom 15,000 have sought shelter in Niger. Humanitarian organisations report that there are soldiers from the Malian army among the refugees.

    Omvärlden 29 February 2012 (in Swedish)

[Roope]

Saturday 3 March to Monday 5 March 2012

Hanko to receive first refugees in years

Finland 

The city of Hanko is preparing to receive some 30 refugees from Myanmar. The city has committed to receiving refugees every three years, but the last refugees arrived five years ago. Hanko City Council will make the final decision on accepting the new group of refugees.

    YLE 5 March 2012 (in Finnish)

Finland will donate 17,5 million EUR to UNHCR

Finland 

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland together with Heidi Hautala, Minister for International Development, has granted 67 million EUR in humanitarian aid for world crises. The main channels for providing assistance will be the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) receiving 17,5 million EUR and the World Food Programme (WFP) that receives 7,9 million EUR. This year Finland will grant humanitarian assistance to Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

    YLE 2 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    YLE 2 March 2012 (in English)
    Verkkouutiset 2 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    MTV3 2 March 2012 (in Finnish)

Expert calls for citizenship law to be reformed

Latvia 

Egils Levits, who is a Latvian judge at the European Court of Justice, called the current citizenship law suicidal. The comment derives from the fact that the law forbids dual citizenship. As Latvia is currently experiencing a mass outflow of people, it is in the interest of the country to amend the law, according to Levits. The issue of double citizenship for expatriate Latvians and children born to Latvian non-citizens are to be brought up by a sub-committee, which is to address amendments of the law. Latvian lawmakers have concluded that the law needs to be reformed in order to be aligned to EU migration processes.

    Baltic News Summary 3 March 2012 (in English)

Expert: Letting children grow up in asylum centres is harmful

Norway 

Child psychiatrist Aina Basilier Vaage says it is very harmful for children to spend a big part of their lives in asylum centres. –They continue to live with the traumas they escaped because they do not know if they are able to stay. It is very stressful, says Aina Basilier Vaage. State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice Pål K. Lønseth confirms that the children are in a very complicated situation but says the parents have put their children's' lives on hold by not complying with the return policy after rejection. A discussion in the Parliament on refugee children was scheduled for February but is now postponed until this summer.

    NRK 3 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Ombudsman for Children: Norwegians have chosen brutal asylum policy

Norway 

The case of a ten year old girl who has been living her whole life in Dale asylum centre in Norway has sparked a debate. The family has been rejected asylum but cannot be returned. The Ombudsman for Children states that it is damaging for children to grow up in this way, but it is what the Norwegian people have voted for. – This is the will of the people, a result of democracy. These are the politicians we have voted for, and therefore we as voters are responsible, says Reidar Hjermann Ombudsman for Children.

    NRK 4 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Researcher: Return agreement with Ethiopia separates families

Norway 

Elise Kipperberg researcher at Stavanger University has recently surveyed the situation of 16 undocumented Ethiopians. The results will support the pledge for reconsideration of the families' situations. – Those I have talked to have been in Norway up to 14 years. They all speak Norwegian very well and are integrated into society. Elise Kipperberg says that Ethiopia has a brutal regime and it is surprising that Norway, as the only country in Europe, has implemented a return agreement.

    NRK 2 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Swedish municipality to receive fewer unaccompanied minors

Sweden 

Staffanstorp municipality has renegotiated its deal with the Swedish Migration Board regarding the number of unaccompanied minors it is to receive. The municipality did so because of the associated economic costs and claimed the deal is in the best interest of the minors. Whilst the Social Democratic opposition finds the deal embarrassing, it highlights a concern regarding which institutions are to be held responsible for0 unaccompanied minors; be it the state, the Migration Board, or the municipalities.

    Sydsvenskan 4 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Criticized language analysis still in use

Sweden 

The Swedish Migration Board (SMB) uses language analysis to discern the origin of asylum-seekers, despite facing fierce critique over its accuracy. As languages are spoken across borders, it is hard to pinpoint someone's origin using this method. Also, the competency of the analysts has been questioned; only a third of the 1,200 analysts have education in languages and several work with languages that are not their mother tongue. Both researchers and UNHCR are critical about the usage of language analysis. SMB is now to assess the accuracy of its language analysis.

    SVT, Ekot 4 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Metro 4 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Östra Småland 4 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Quota refugees selected in Tunisia

Sweden 

The Swedish Migration Board has chosen to provide asylum for 200 refugees from a Tunisian refugee camp. They are part of the 1,900 annual resettlement quota that Sweden has committed to receive in consultation with UNHCR. The refugees are considered to be in an extra precarious situation, having fled from warn-torn Libya. Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, calls for EU member states to increase their acceptance of refugees. Currently, the EU accepts 5,000-6,000 quota refugees annually. If all member states received the same share of refugees per capita as Sweden, around 100,000 quota refugees would be accepted annually.

    SVT Rapport 4 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Thousands fleeing from conflict-ridden Syria

UNHCR in the news 

– Between 1,000 and 2,000 people are crossing the border from Syria into northern Lebanon, says Jean Paul Cavalieri Deputy Representative for UNHCR in Lebanon. There were reports of violence in the Syrian city Qusair near Lebanon on Sunday 4 March.

    Sveriges Radio 4 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sydsvenskan 5 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Skånskan 4 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Aftonbladet 4 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Tromso.no 4 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    VG Nett 4 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    BT 4 March 2012 (in Danish)
    Jyllands-Posten 4 March 2012 (in Danish)
    Berlingske 4 March 2012 (in Danish)
    Politiken 4 March 2012 (in Danish)

Humanitarian crisis worsens in Sahel region

UNHCR in the news 

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) over 130,000 persons have fled from Mali to the neighbouring countries of Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and to other parts of Mali. UNHCR has asked for 36 million dollars to assist the refugees. The situation is especially difficult in Niger that has received around 29,000 refugees and where a third of the population is facing food shortages in the upcoming months.

    Maailma.net 2 March 2012 (in Finnish)

[Roope]

Tuesday 6 March to Wednesday 7 March 2012

Thousands of people with Afghan background in Finland

Finland 

There are already thousands of people with Afghan background living in Finland, many of which have Finnish nationality. Most of them came to Finland as asylum-seekers, quota refugees or through family reunification. In 2005 Finland stopped taking quota refugees from Afghanistan, since the situation in the country was believed to be improving rapidly. However, in 2010 Finland restarted receiving quota refugees from Afghanistan.

    Helsingin Sanomat 5 March 2012 (in Finnish)

Progress Party: 450 cases should be re-opened

Norway 

-The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) ought to re-open every single case concerning rejected asylum-seeking children. It is possible to show discretion and pay attention to young people and their situation, says Morten Ørsal Johansen from the Progress Party. While the Labour Party says the children should return to their country of origin, the Socialist Left Party wants them and their families to stay and get the chance to create a future for themselves in Norway. The Government has recently made it very clear that it expects the children and their families to accept the deportation procedure and leave Norway.

    VG Nett 7 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

SMB expects high number of unaccompanied minors

Sweden 

This year 3,100 unaccompanied minors are expected to come to Sweden. This is 300 more than the original estimation. The prognosis for 2013 is set to be 500 more. In 2011 the majority of these unaccompanied minors were young Afghan boys. As a consequence of shorter processing times the municipalities must already now plan for an influx of unaccompanied minors.

    Uppsala NyaTidning 5 March 2012 (in Swedish)

SDU seeks to increase voluntary repatriation through campaign

Sweden 

The youth party of the Swedish Democrats (SDU), has applied for 100,000 SEK from the Swedish Migration Board in order to produce 10,000 'goodie bags'. These bags, containing information on voluntary repatriation, would be given to immigrants, whom the SDU consider to have insufficiently assimilated into Swedish society. Both the Social Democrats and the Conservatives have distanced themselves from the proposal.

    Dagens Nyheter 5 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Expressen 5 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Nyheter 24 5 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Christian Democrats accuse border police of using bribes

Sweden 

Two Christian Democrats accuse the Swedish Migration Board of not respecting freedom of religion and also accuse the border police of using bribes. The critique derives from the failed attempt to deport an Iranian family who had converted to Christianity, despite the father having no passport. A source at the Swedish Migration Board claims the border police sometimes uses bribes to make the authorities in the rejected asylum-seeker's country of origin accept the entry of this person, even though he/she does not have a valid passport.

    Folket 7 March 2012 (in Swedish)

SMB: Increase in immigration will cost 100 million SEK

Sweden 

According to the Swedish Migration Board (SMB), a softening of the identification rules with regards to family reunification will cause an increase in applications. Due to strict rules of identification, many Somalis have not been able to apply for family reunification as Sweden does not acknowledge Somali passports. This January a ruling made it possible to prove kinship through DNA. According to SMB there will be an estimated 59,000 applications for family reunification in 2012, which is an increase of 45 per cent compared to 2011. To meet the needs, SMB has asked the Government for an additional 101 million SEK.

    Dagens Juridik 6 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Syria bombed bridge used by refugees

UNHCR in the news 

Syrian forces have reportedly bombed a bridge used by Syrian refugees to get from the city of Homs to Lebanon. The bridge also operated as an important route to transport wounded persons. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) there are some 7,000 registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon, but the numbers are expected to increase. Only in the past two days over 1,500 people have fled from Syria to Lebanon. According to UNHCR, a majority of the refugees are women and children who have escaped the violence in Homs.

    YLE 6 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    VG Nett 6 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Aftenposten 6 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Dagbladet 6 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

UNHCR staff donates blood after explosion in Brazaville

UNHCR in the news 

At least 236 persons have lost their lives and 2,000 are wounded after an explosion in Brazaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo. UN aid organisations have provided basic necessities and UNHCR informs that its staff is currently donating blood. The explosion occurred in a storehouse with ammunition and caused several fires to break out and the building to collapse.

    Politiken 6 March 2012 (in Danish)
    MetroExpress 6 March 2012 (in Danish)
    Fyens Stiftstidende 6 March 2012 (in Danish)
    TV2 6 March 2012 (in Danish)

[Roope]

Thursday 8 March to Friday 9 March 2012

Danish Minister of Justice calls Europe's asylum system problematic

Denmark 

The Minister of Justice, Morten Bødskov, is pleased by EU's decision to reform its asylum system, not least in order to address the immigration challenges facing Greece. Last year, 60,000 illegal immigrants entered the EU through Greece. According to Attorney Morten Bødskov, the situation is putting unusually high pressure on Greece whose asylum system has collapsed under the pressure. As a result, Bødskov claims it makes it more difficult to identify those persons in real need of protection.

    Jyllands Posten 8 March 2012 (in Danish)

Refugee Woman of the Year

Finland 

Finnish Refugee Council has selected Afghan-born Malalai Rahim as the Refugee Woman of the Year 2012. She first came to Finland with her family as a quota refugee in 2000. She currently lives in Seinäjoki where she works in the general hospital as a doctor. Rahim was forced to flee Afghanistan under the Taliban rule and escaped to Iran.  – As the Refugee Woman of the Year I hope and believe that I am able to help people. It is natural to me and I have done it all my life, even during the war, Rahim says. Afghans are the largest refugee group worldwide. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), in 2010 over 3,5 million Afghans were in need of protection.

    Aamulehti 8 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    YLE 8 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    Satakunnan Kansa 8 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    Pohjalainen 8 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    Kansan Uutiset 8 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    Iltasanomat 8 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    Hufvudstadsbladet 8 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Kouvolan Sanomat 8 March 2012 (in Finnish)

Large increase of asylum seekers

Latvia 

In 2011 some 335 people sought asylum in Latvia, compared to 61 in 2010. Around half of the asylum-seekers were from Georgia. In 2011, 27 people were granted asylum.

Currently 80 asylum-seekers are waiting for a decision regarding their asylum claim. – We have received 32 asylum applications, including four minors, during the first two months of this year, says Andrejs Rjabcevs, spokesperson for Latvian Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.

    Baltic News Summary 8 March 2012 (in English)
    Baltic News Summary 9 March 2012 (in English)

Illegal immigrants from Afghanistan detained in Lithuania

Lithuania 

A man, a woman and three children, were found attempting to cross into Lithuania from Belarus. They lacked documentation as well as personal belongings. Due to a lack of translators, the communication has been difficult but they are believed to originate from Afghanistan.

    Baltic News Summary 8 March 2012 (in English)

Progress Party regains support in the aftermath of the Utøya terror incident

Norway 

Immigration critical Progress Party has regained the public support it lost after the revelation of links between the party and the terrorist Anders Breivik. In a poll commissioned by the Norwegian Public Radio, the party has gained 3.1 per cent in popularity and is now supported by 17.3 per cent of the Norwegian electorate.

    NRK 8 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

N.B. This story was also covered in Sweden.

    Svenska Dagbladet 8 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Transit homes for refugees in great demand

Sweden 

Currently, the Swedish Migration Board (SMB) is lacking 1,700 transit homes for newly arrived refugees. Hence, there are attempts to increase capacity. Burlöv municipality is skeptical of SMB's attempt to convert a hotel into transit homes for refugees. SMB understands the position of the municipality but argues that the current demand overrides other considerations.

    Skånska Dagbladet 7 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Study: People from Värmland are positive towards immigration

Sweden 

A study made in 2010 by Gothenburg and Karlstad University found that a large majority of the people of Värmland are very positive towards immigration and multiculturalism. The study covered the region's cultural, social, political, economic and medial landscape. As a consequence, Värmland is one of the most benevolent towards receiving refugees.

    Värmlands Folkblad 8 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Common EU policy regarding quota refugees decided

Sweden 

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has decided to introduce a common resettlement program regarding quota refugees entering the EU. The policy will make it easier for countries to apply for funds that will enable them to develop their ability to receive refugees. Tobias Billström, Swedish Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, lauds the decision, calling it a means to show solidarity with those countries who currently receive the most refugees.

    Svenska Dagbladet 8 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Aftonbladet 8 March 2012 (in Swedish)

N.B. This story was also covered in Denmark

    Berlingske 8 March 2012 (in Danish)

Children deported to an orphanage in Montenegro

Sweden 

Three children have lost their appeal process with the Swedish Migration Board (SMB). The children have lived in Sweden for several years with a foster family, but are now being deported to a Montenegrin orphanage. The spokesperson for the SMB in Borås, Johan Rahm, says it is highly unusual for a family to be separated in such a way. Moreover, Rahm states an orphanage is usually not considered a suitable habitat for children.

    Expressen 8 March 2012 (in Swedish)

[Roope]

Saturday 10 March to Monday 12 March 2012

Over 13,500 illegal immigrants recorded in 9 years

Estonia 

The people have come from 83 countries. As human trafficking has become the second most important revenue source for criminal organizations, Thomas Kuuse, head of the Police and Border Guard Board's migration supervision bureau, believes Estonia might soon change from a transit to a destination country for illegal immigrants. Subsequently, he fears the country will soon face "the same migration problems that most West European countries are grappling with at present".

    Baltic News Summary 9 March 2012 (in English)

Displacement and migration among themes at the Markets of Possibilities

Finland   

This May for the 23rd time the Markets of Possibilities is held in Oulu, Finland. This year the event's themes are people on the move, migration and displacement. The program includes music, dance, art, workshops and market atmosphere. The refugee theme will be addressed in more depth in a panel discussion. The theme is relevant since migration is not a voluntary option for everyone. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) there are 43,7 million persons in the world who have been forced to flee their homes. Over 15 million of them are refugees and nearly 30 million internally displaced people (IDP's). In Finland only a small per cent of immigrants are asylum-seekers or refugees. The most common causes for immigration are marriage, work or studying. Between 2006 and 2009 some 2,000 to 3,000 asylum-seeker, quota refugees and their family members have received residence permit in Finland, which is about one seventh of all immigrants.

    Oululehti 12 March 2012 (in Finnish)

Drafting of new immigration law

Latvia 

A part of the Latvian Government's action plan is to look into the immigration law. This includes looking at new solutions such as immigrant quotas and a bonus point system. - Because of demographers raising alarm that we would have to bring in foreign labor, we have to produce a clear concept about how many and what kind of labor we want to have and on what conditions, said Maira Roze, the deputy head for migration of the Latvian Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP).

    Baltic News Summary 11 March 2012 (in English)

Police: Belarusians are exploiting asylum system

Norway 

In the first two months of this year 75 asylum-seekers from Belarus have arrived in Norway. Last year at the same time the number was one. 55 of the 75 asylum-seekers are from the same town. Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and the International Police Immigration Service (PU) in Norway think the asylum-seekers are exploiting the return agreement that Norway has with former Soviet countries. The agreement ensures a return support of 20,000 NOK to asylum-seekers from former Soviet countries who voluntarily return after having been rejected for asylum. – This is definitely organised crime and we view it as exploitation of the system. In addition, we see that many of these people have a criminal background and get involved with crime for profit in Norway, says Eli Fryjordet from PU. UDI has decided to temporarily suspend the return support to Belarusian asylum-seekers, however they are still entitled to help with the return travel.

    Dagbladet 12 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    VG Nett 12 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Aftenposten 12 March 2012 (in Norwegian) 

Less rejected asylum-seekers taking residence in churches

Norway 

The number of persons taking residence in churches after having their asylum applications rejected has gone down the last years. – Church asylum is an extreme sport, says Jon Ole Martinsen from NOAS. There is no national overview of how many people are in permanent church asylum but Sven Thore Kloster from the Church of Norway says it is below 10 people in their churches. The Church of Norway does not recommend church asylum and underlines that church asylum is not an alternative to the laws of society. Jon Ole Martinsen from NOAS says that one of the reasons less asylum-seekers choose church asylum is exactly because of the Church of Norway's recommendations. He also points to a different cause, that many asylum-seekers come from countries which the police cannot return them to, consequently leaving the rejected asylum-seekers in the regular reception centres.

    NRK 11 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Waiting time for young rejected asylum-seekers in centres is damaging

Norway 

- It is very hard to see a young person who is 18 years old sitting in his or her room all day. It deteriorates them slowly, says Britt Tove Sletten who works at a reception centre. Young people above 18 years old who are rejected but where it is difficult to return them to their country of origin may be waiting for a very long time in a reception centre. Geir Ketil Hansen from the Socialist Left Party (SV) says that there is no doubt that young people who are inactive in a reception centre without the possibility of going to school or working are in a very critical position. State Secretary from the Ministry of Justice Pål K. Lønseth disagrees and states that the rule for residence for youth between the ages of 16-18 who are not in need of international protection will not be changed.

    NRK 9 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

FP leader calls for amended Swedish refugee laws

Sweden 

At the Liberal Party's annual conference, Jan Björklund, the party leader, called for the Swedish refugee laws to be amended. Specifically, he argues that immediate family members who are elderly or sick should be able to be reunited with family resident in Sweden. The rule should only be applied if it is the only alternative available. It existed previously, but was abolished by the former Prime Minister Persson. In general, Björklund calls for a more humane refugee policy.

    Södermanlands Nyheter 10 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Dagens Industri 11 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Stricter rules being introduced concerning economic migrants

Sweden 

People who have had their Swedish asylum applications turned down are looking at ways to become economic migrants. However, to get a work permit, the seeker has to reside outside of Sweden, and many are applying from the Swedish embassy in Oslo without really moving to or living in Norway. In response, the rules are being sharpened, with applicants now having to prove they are not residing in Sweden illegally. Joanna Teglund of the Swedish Church argues the rules are created by bureaucrats divorced from reality.

    Sveriges Radio Ekot 10 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Common EU policy regarding quota refugees decided

Sweden 

The Council of the European Union has decided to introduce a common resettlement program regarding quota refugees entering the EU. The policy will make it easier for countries to apply for funds that will enable them to develop their ability to receive refugees. Tobias Billström, Swedish Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, lauds the decision, calling it a means to show solidarity with those countries who currently receive the most refugees.

    Svenska Dagbladet 8 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Aftonbladet 8 March 2012 (in Swedish)

N.B. This story was also covered in Denmark.

    Berlingske 8 March 2012 (in Danish)

US air strike kills 18 al-Qaeda supporters in Yemen

UNHCR in the news 

At least 18 al-Qaeda supporters have been killed in Yemen in a US air strike in Bayda, southern Yemen. The attack last Friday night killed several al-Qaeda leaders. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) the clashes between al-Qaeda and the government of Yemen have forced tens of thousands of people to flee in Abyan province, southern Yemen.

    Helsingin Sanomat 10 March 2012 (in Finnish)

Thousands of Malians flee from their homes daily

UNHCR in the news 

Fighting between government forces and Tuaregan rebels has turned 160,000 Malians into refugees. Whilst half remain internally displaced, some 22,600 have fled to Burkina Faso, 24,800 to Niger and 34,000 to Mauritania respectively, according to UNHCR. – The majority of the refugees are Tuaregan. They tell us that they do not want to get caught in the crossfire between Tuareg rebels and government forces. Many also fear the bandits who operate in the area, says Helene Caux, press officer at the UNHCR. The threat level has forced humanitarian aid providers to evacuate from the area. Moreover, the risk of famine in the region is real, caused by drought, the spiraling conflict, and guest workers returning from Libya. According to the Red Cross, 80 to 90 per cent of refugees who are females and minors in Niger, are malnourished.

    Dagens Nyheter 12 March 2012 (in Swedish)

The people no one wishes to acknowledge

UNHCR in the news 

The Rohingya people, who are from western Burma, have during the last few decades been forced to flee from their homes in their hundreds of thousands. The ethnic and religious minority is not recognized by either the Burmese government, opposition, or by most receiving countries, such as Malaysia. As a consequence, many live in squalor, unable to provide education for their children. The UN lobbies for the ability of refugees to return home, and families are provided ID cards by the UNHCR. With more refugees arriving by the day, it is Asia's worst refugee crisis and it has no end in sight.

    Svenska Dagbladet 11 March 2012 (in Swedish)

[Roope]

Thursday 15 March to Friday 16 March 2012

More rejected asylum-seekers stay in Denmark

Denmark 

The number of rejected asylum-seekers with an order to leave but who remain in Denmark has increased from 815 in the beginning of 2011, to 980 at the end of the year. In the case of Afghan asylum-seekers, the long processing times due to challenges with personal identification contributes to the problems, and the readmission agreements with Afghanistan and Iraq are not functioning optimally. Minister of Justice Morten Bødskov will set up a task force to promote voluntary as well as forced return and highlights that it is imperative to send a clear message to the rejected asylum-seekers that the rejection is final. The Danish Red Cross is worried about the long time the rejected asylum-seekers spend in the accommodation centres and state that many develop mental problems after a year. Morten Bødskov is willing, under certain conditions, to look at some ways of improving the time spent in the centres.

    Berlingske 15 March 2012 (in Danish)

2012 refugee quota about as last year

Finland 

The Ministry of Interior has decided on taking 750 quota refugees in 2012. The refugees received will be 200 Afghan refugees from Iran, 150 Myanmarese refugees from Thailand, 150 Congolese refugees from Rwanda, and 150 Iraqi, Iranian, Afghan and Somali refugees from Turkey. In addition, Finland has 100 slots for emergency cases.

    Bulevard 16 March 2012 (in Finnish)

Region preparing to receive quota refugees

Finland 

Several municipalities in the Upper-Savo region are preparing to receive a total of 150 quota refugees over the coming years. According to Advisory Chairman Maija-Leena Kemppainen, it is a humanitarian act, as many of the people have previously been living in refugee camps for years.

    Iskelmä Oikea Asema 15 March 2012 (in Finnish)

UDI broke own rules

Norway 

Last year the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) introduced an accelerated procedure for asylum-seekers who were thought likely not to be in need of protection. Asylum-seekers in this fast track procedure lost their right to counselling with the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS). NOAS protested and the practice was stopped. UDI underlines that anyone with a rejection would subsequently be appointed a lawyer in the appeals procedure. 

    VG Nett 14 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Internal dispute in the Labour Party on asylum policy

Norway 

The return agreement between Norway and Ethiopia has led to a heated debate in Norway. - We call for greater justice and solidarity, says Vegard Grønlie Wennesland, leader of the Labour Party's youth branch in Oslo. He adds that asylum policy will be one of the topics at the annual Labour Party meeting this weekend. A new opinion poll carried out by InFacts show that only 15 per cent of theLabour Party's voters are in favour of the deportation of 450 refugee children. Of all the pople asked half say that the children should stay while 24 per cent say they should be returned, and 24 per cent have no opinion. Internally in the Labour Party there has also been a divide, and some local politicians have criticised the asylum policy openly. Minister of Justice Grete Feramo does not wish to comment on InFacts's survey.

    VG Nett 15 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Adresseavisen 15 March (in Norwegian)
    VG Nett 15 March 2012 (in Norwegian) 
    VG Nett 14 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Churches calls for Ethiopian children to stay

Norway 

Norges Kristne Råd (Council of Norwgian Churches) is asking the Government to let the children affected by the Ethiopian return agreement stay in Norway. – We think it is unacceptable and inhumane to forcibly return children who have lived in Norway for a long period of time to Ethiopia, says general secretary Ørnulf Steen from Norges Kristne Råd.

    NRK 15 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    VårtLand 15 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

NOAS calls for reopening of Ethiopian cases

Norway 

Norway's return agreement has spiked a lot of debate the last couple of weeks. The Norwegian Organisation for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) criticises the very grounds for rejection of the asylum-seekers concerned. NOAS says that all kinds of opposition is illegal in Ethiopia, and renders that many of the asylum-seekers may have engaged in activities in Norway which will be viewed as opposition when returning to Ethiopia. –This may be something which was not included in the original grounds for rejection. Therefore, it is important that their cases be re-opened, says Ann-Magrit Austenå from NOAS.

    Aftenposten 15 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Liberal Party calls for deportation halt

Norway 

The Liberal Party will put forward seven suggestions in Parliament on Monday which is supposed to help the many asylum children affected by the return agreement with Ethiopia. – We hope that people vote according to their beliefs and what they have stated in the public debate. Many MPs have called for the cases to be put on hold until the government white paper on refugee children is announced, says Trine Skei Grande from the Liberal Party. The Centre Party and The Socialist Left Party are positive towards looking at the suggestions.

    TV2 15 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

166 of the 463 refugee children to be deported are under five years old

Norway 

New figures from the Directorate of Immigration show that many of the rejected asylum-seeking children who may be deported are very young. Some 463 children are affected; 166 are under 5 years old and 103 are born in Norway. Only 24 of the 463 children are from Ethiopia and may be affected by the recently signed return agreement. The National Police Immigration Service says that no-one will be put on planes the forthcoming days. – The agreement opens up for sending a request to the Ethiopian authorities. Previously, this has been difficult, but now we can do it. Then we start working on the deportations, says Cecilia Johansen from the National Immigration Police Service. It will take weeks before the first returns may take place, if the police manage to track down the people concerned.

    VG Nett March 15 2012 (in Norwegian)

Government and the Green Party reach agreement concerning immigration

Sweden 

The agreement involves the inspection of how the Swedish Migration Board selects the legal counsel who assist asylum seekers. Moreover, a committee is to be formed which will overhaul how the institution gathers country of origin information, as well as assessing how its decisions and rulings can become more transparent and detailed. The parties still disagree over what rights people without documentation should have to health care and education.

    Svenska Dagbladet 15 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio Ekot 15 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Aftonbladet 15 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Nyheter 24 15 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Swedish Migration Board faces criticism over age determining technique

Sweden 

The Swedish Migration Board (SMB) has let doctors x-ray the wrists of four Afghan refugees in order to determine their age. By using this technique, the SMB has come to the conclusion that the youths are of age. However, the legitimacy of the technique has now been put in question by doctors. According to Carin Oldin, chief physician in childrens health at Jönköping's hospital, the technique is too imprecise to tell the age of a person. The case is of great importance because asylum seeking youths more often receive the right to stay in the country.

    Sveriges Television Jönköpingsnytt 14 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Majority believe being coerced into receiving refugee children is wrong

Sweden 

The majority of municipalities, governing bodies and organizations who have been asked, believe it is wrong of the Swedish Migration Board (SMB) to force municipalities into receiving unaccompanied minors. They believe it is hard for municipalities to retain constant preparedness, and that it is not good for the children to move to municipalities who do not wish to receive them. The SMB has constant problems finding municipalities who are willing to receive unaccompanied minors.

    Svenska Dagbladet 16 March 2012 (in Swedish)

UNHCR calls for Italy to prepare for Syrian refugees

UNHCR in the news 

Of the many refugees fleeing Syria these days, UNHCR estimates that a big part of them will flee to Europe. The refugees will first arrive at the Italian Island of Lampedusa. Therefore, UNHCR now urges Italy to prepare for the influx and start making the refugee centres ready.

    DR 15 March 2012 (in Danish)

[Roope]

Saturday 17 March to Monday 19 March 2012

Elimination of poverty benefits may affect refugees' employment rate

Denmark 

The Government's initiative to eliminate poverty benefits make integration more difficult and results in unemployment. – By eliminating the poverty benefits you take away the incentive to work for a large group of society, and that is a big problem, says Ole Steen Olsen at the Danish Chamber of Commerce. According to the Government's own calculations, the elimination of the poverty benefits reduces the employment by 2,000 to 3,000 people who will transfer from employment to cash help. Professor Torben Tranæs from the Rockwool Foundation's Research Unit has previously stated that some of the poverty benefits resulted in refugees being employed faster in the short term, and he agrees that the new framework will make it harder than before for new refugees to get employment. – However, it is almost only the new refugees which will be affected by the elimination of some of the poverty benefits, and that constitutes such a small group of all the refugees and immigrants from non-western countries that it probably will not show on the group's overall employment rate, says professor Tranæs. The Danish Chamber of Commerce adds that the elimination of the poverty benefits may act as a pull factor for immigrants who do not wish to contribute to society at a time where Denmark needs foreign skilled labour in order to create growth.

    Berlingske 19 March (in Danish)

Foreign minister: half of True Finns in Parliament are extremists

Finland 

The Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja, claims that nearly half of the True Finns in Parliament belong to an organized immigration critical faction. He believes the situation is worrying, and argues the success of the True Finns derives from increasing income inequality within Finnish Society. The criticism comes as two active members of the True Finns party have been reported to the police for allegedly threatening a human rights activist.

    Hufvudstadsbladet  17 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Hufvudstadsbladet  16 March 2012 (in Swedish)

PM Jens Stoltenberg defends asylum policy

Norway 

At the annual Oslo Labour Party meeting Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg defended the Government's asylum policy saying that the number of asylum-seekers have gone down whilst the approval rate has gone up. – We cannot have a policy which rewards the ones who do not respect decisions. Having a child is not an excuse not to respect decisions which are based on laws and rules, said Stoltenberg. – I say this because we must deal with the difficult choices. We cannot have a certain policy one day and then the next day be against the consequences of that policy, Jens Stoltenberg said.

    Møre Si Nettutgåve 16 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Vårt Land 16 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

PM Jens Stoltenberg's asylum policy defeated by own party

Norway 

One of the topics on the agenda for the annual regional meetings of the Labour Party was the recently heavily debated party's asylum policy. The Labour Party in Oslo voted in favour of putting on hold the cases of 463 children who have lived more than three years in Norway, and are in danger of being deported, some because of the return agreement with Ethiopia. They also agreed that the cases should be put on hold until the Government publishes its white paper on refugee children this summer. At the annual meetings held in regions Møre and Romsdal and in Hordaland, similar suggestions were voted in favour of. Hordaland even made a proposal that would grant residence to all well-established families with children who have lived long in Norway. The region Aust-Agder voted against granting residence and putting the deportations on hold.

    FriFagbevegelse.no 17 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Vårt Land 18 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Agderposten 18 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Aftenposten 18 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

NOAS sceptical to doubling of aid to Ethiopia

Norway 

- I do not think it is a coincidence that the return agreement with Ethiopia has gone through at the exact same time we see an increase of the aid, says Ann-Magrit Austenå from the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS), alleging the agreement is special as no third independent party is used to administer the aid for re-integration efforts. Torgeir Larsen from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismisses the alleged connection between aid and return agreement. – They are two completely separate things, says Torgeir Larsen. He adds that the return agreement is placed under the Ministry of Justice where as the aid is under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice Pål K. Lønseth says that the question of aid was not a part of the negotiations on the return agreement with Ethiopia, but also states that he does not know to what extent it has influenced the willingness to sign the agreement. 

    Aftenposten 17 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

NOAS: Men without families most likely to be the first forcibly returned

Norway 

According to the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) single men without families will most likely be the first Ethiopians to be forcibly returned. – We do not think that there will be a mass-deportation of Ethiopian families right away. National Police Immigration Service (PU) will most likely attempt to forcibly return a limited number of rejected asylum-seekers to see how the agreement works in practice, says Jon Ole Martinsen from NOAS.

    Aftenposten 16 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Unaccompanied minors not welcome in every fifth municipality

Sweden 

Many municipalities do not wish to receive unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers and refugees, arguing they have insufficient resources to cope. However, soon the arguments might be meaningless as the government is preparing a law proposal that could force municipalities to receive unaccompanied minors. The proposal is caused by increasing numbers of children arriving, with reception centres failing to meet the demand. However, the proposal is meeting criticism from municipalities, as exemplified by local politician Monica Widnemark (S), who claims it is wrong for municipalities to be forced.

    Sveriges Television Smålandsnytt 19 March 2012 (in Swedish)

UNHCR: lack of aid to Western Sahara

UNHCR in the news 

Even though the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has stated that there is a lack of 32 million US dollars for refugees in Western Sahara, UN, EU, and ECHO have cut off funds. Every third child under the age of five living in the refugee camps in Western Sahara is malnourished. Half of all the children suffer from anemia. There is only food enough to cover the need of half the 165,000 people living in the fragile tents in the desert of south west Algeria. The cut off in funding means that 70 per cent of all the money needed to run the camps are yet to be found.

    Arbejderen 19 March (in Danish)

Malmström: EU mismanaged the Arab Spring refugees

UNHCR in the news 

The EU Commissioner of Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmström, is calling EU's handling of the refugee crisis emitting from the Arab Spring to be a mistake of historic proportions. The criticism is based on the fact that the EU does not receive those who are in acute need of refuge. – UNHCR made an appeal, stating they had a list of 8,000 people who were in acute need of protection and asked the whole world to receive them as quota refugees. Together, EU's 27 countries managed to offer 4-500 places, says Malmström. It is her aim to finalise a common European refugee policy, but sees immigration-critical parties in Europe as a grave threat for the policy's realisation.

    Sveriges Radio Ekot 17 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    TV 4 17 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Dagens Nyheter 17 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Worry over mass refugee flows emitting from Syria

UNHCR in the news   

Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey are increasing their capacity to receive many more than the 30,000 refugees who have so far fled Syria. – In situations of large refugee outflows anywhere in the world to a neighbouring country, we have experts whom we can send down on short notice. We have personnel and supplies and can quickly establish a camp, says Hanne Mathisen, spokeswoman for the UNHCR Regional Office for the Baltic and Nordic countries.  – The most important thing is that borders remain open and that the refugees are registrered, says Mathisen. With regards to Syria, Mathisen highlights UNHCR's focus on humanitarian needs and the plight of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees living within Syria, saying some of them have been forced to flee within Syria. Dana Sleiman at the UNHCR office in Beirut: – We are distributing food, blankets and hygiene products. And we are trying to bring psychologists when we make house calls, as some refugees are traumatised. Over 500 refugee children have been helped to continue their education.

    Göteborgs-Posten 15 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    TV4 Nyheterna 15 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sydsvenska Dagbladet 16 March 2012 (in Swedish)

[Roope]

Tuesday 20 March to Wednesday 21 March 2012

Two parties in Government want to improve conditions of tolerated stay

Denmark 

The Social-Liberal Party (R) and the Socialist People's Party (SF) want to change the conditions for foreigners on tolerated stay. According to Zenia Stampe (R) foreigners on tolerated stay should have the opportunity to move out of Sandholm asylum centre and be allowed to work. Last year there were 41 foreigners on tolerated stay. Tolerated stay primarily concerns people who have served their sentence and on top of that been sentenced to deportation. However, they cannot be deported due to the UN Refugee Convention, which prohibits deportation of people in risk of torture, persecution or receiving a death sentence in their home country. Minister of Justice Morten Bødskov disagrees with R and SF and says the Government has no plans to change the rules of tolerated stay for people who have received sentence to be deported because of committing crime or people who have been excluded on the basis of having committed war crimes.

    Børsen 20 March 2012 (in Danish)
    Berlingske 20 March 2012 (in Danish)
    DR 20 March 2012 (in Danish)

Estonian government earmarks money to repatriates

Estonia 

For years, Estonia has been giving financial assistance to repatriates and this year it has allocated 61,557 EUR for the purpose. The assistance targets some 60 Estonians to return to their homeland. The maximum amount a returning Estonian can apply for is 2,000 EUR.

    BNS 19 March 2012 (in English)

Alajärvi negative to receiving quota refugees

Finland 

The municipality of Alajärvi does not want to receive resettled refugees. Insufficient financial compensation is one of the main reasons given for the decision.

    Ilkka 20 March 2012 (in Finnish)

Government and Socialist Left Party did not yield on asylum policy

Norway 

On 19 March, the Liberal Party (V) put forward in Parliament 12 individual proposals to change the current asylum policy. One of the proposals included the re-opening of rejected asylum-applications concerning children who have lived in Norway more than three years. However, V was only supported by the Norwegian Christian Democratic Party (KrF). Minister of Justice Grete Faremo, supported by both the Conservative Party (H) and the Progress Party (FrP), disagreed with the proposals. – It is obvious that very few will choose voluntary return, if they by ignoring the rejection long enough will be granted residence, said Grete Faremo and added that introducing a form of amnesty is not the right way to go. The Government will address the situation in its white paper on refugee children to be published this summer.

    Dagbladet 19 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    NRK 19 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Nettavisen 19 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Abc Nyheter 19 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Utrop 19 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    NRK 19 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Socialist Left Party accused of speaking with two tongues on asylum policy

Norway 

When the Liberal Party (V) put forward its proposals to change the current asylum policy in Parliament this Monday, the government member Socialist Left Party (SV) voted against even though the party was in favour of the proposals. The party is criticised by the Norwegian Christian Democratic Party (KrF) and the Progress Party (FrP) for speaking with two tongues. Heikki Holmås from SV answers the criticism by stating that the party prioritises to have the entire Government behind a change in the asylum policy.

    Aftenbladet 19 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Majority of Norwegian voters in favour of strict asylum policy

Norway 

In a new opinion poll carried out by Respons, some 53 per cent of the people asked say that the deportation of 450 asylum children should be put on hold until the Government has published its white paper on refugee children. 24 per cent think the deportations should take place as planned. When asked if the asylum policy should be liberalised, 32 per cent think the rules should stay as they are today and 35 per cent think that the rules should be stricter. These answers conflict with the question of whether or not asylum children who have stayed in Norway more than three years should be granted residence, to which 50 per cent said yes and 25 per cent said no. – It is not possible to have your cake and eat it too in a fair manner. To introduce a rule which gives children the right to stay after three years because the majority is in favour would entail a significant liberalisation of the asylum policy, says Pål K. Lønseth, State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice. He adds that the opinion poll shows the dilemma of this issue. Trine Skei Grande from the Liberal Party (V) views the opinion poll as positive and states that it shows the voters want to strengthen the rights of a limited groups of asylum-seekers - the children.

    TV2 Nyhetene 21 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Dagen 21 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Aftenposten 21 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

2,434 refugee children have returned to their home countries during the last three years

Norway 

Every day for the past years, between two to three children have returned to their home countries after having had their asylum applications rejected in Norway. The return of the children has not received anywhere near the same amount of attention as the current case of the 450 refugee children in danger of being deported. As many as 73 per cent of the 2,434 cases have been deportations. As of 1 March this year 1,173 children who had received final rejection on their applications lived in reception centres. – That they remain in the reception centres is the choice of their parents. They put the children in a difficult position when they chose to stay, says Mange Løve from the National Police Immigration Service (PU). Løve adds that he is afraid that feelings will decide the asylum policy, but he understands that it is difficult to leave Norway after having lived in the country for a long time.

    Arbeidets Rett 21 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Møre si Nettutgåve 21 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Doubling of Ethiopians seeking voluntary return

Norway 

Before 15 March this year 27 rejected asylum-seekers affected by the return agreement with Ethiopia had applied for voluntary return. According to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) that number is now 60. The applications come from both families, single women, and men. – It is more than we expected and we are very pleased, says Gry Aalde from UDI. Jens Ole Martinsen from the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) does not consider 60 people a large number. – That means 90 per cent are so afraid that they would rather be escorted by the police and returned without any form of support than return voluntarily. This is a very clear signal, which shows how these people view their own situations.

    VG Nett 21 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Left Wing party probes Billström concerning Pastor Jean

Sweden 

In a parliamentary debate, Christina Höj Larsen (V) asked the Migration and Asylum Minister, Tobias Billström, how it helps Pastor Jean that his asylum application was dealt with in a correct asylum determination procedure, when he was later tortured post deportation. The Minister defended the Swedish asylum process, stating the pastor had received an asylum decision in accordance with the rule of law. He did however state that the Government has appointed an overhaul of the country of origin information that is used when deciding upon asylum cases. The Minister also argued that Sweden on the whole has received a good grade concerning asylum cases in comparison to international standards, referring to a report published by UNHCR. Larsen was not happy with the response, arguing it is merely a matter of time before Sweden yet again is found guilty by the UN Committee Against Torture, which would be for the twentieth time.

    Dagen 21 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Turkey failing to provide refugee status to fleeing Syrians

UNHCR in the news 

Instead, Turkey defines those who have fled from Syria as guests, reducing in theory their right to free movement, access to education and healthcare, and the ability to work. Amnesty International, the EU and Human Rights Watch are criticizing Turkey's interpretation of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention which only grants refugee status to those of European origin. However, Metin Corabatir, spokesperson of UNHCR in Turkey, defends Turkey's position: – Turkey would be inundated by new refugees if the exception was removed due to its geographic proximity to Iran, Iraq and Syria. Although it is UNHCR's position that all countries should fully endorse the UN Refugee Convention, the organisation does not share Amnesty's criticism of Turkey. – It is a completely different issue. Those who come from Syria are seeking protection from the violence, they are not attempting to travel to a third country or receive asylum. Instead, Corabatir praises the responsible position Turkey has taken – immediately after people from Syria started arriving, the Turkish government pronounced that the borders would remain open, that no one would be forced back to Syria and that their needs would be satisfied. UNHCR provides technical support to the refugee camps run by Turkey and the Red Crescent. According to Corabatir, the refugees receive food three times a day, there are schools as well as lessons held in Arabic, and they are afforded temporary protection. – It is more than satisfactory how the refugees are treated. The most important thing now is that they are in safety and are protected.

    Dagens Nyheter 20 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio 20 March 2012 (in Swedish)

IKEA provides more than 500 million SEK to charities

UNHCR in the news 

Previously, IKEA has received fierce criticism for its lack of support to charitable purposes. However, IKEA is now increasing its donations considerably. In 2011, a total of 587 million SEK was given, an increase by 44 per cent in relation to the previous year. The organisation's aim is however to donate a total of 1 billion SEK. Amongst the receivers is UNHCR. During 2011, a 3 year project was started with UNHCR to reach out to the 120,000 refugees living in the Horn of Africa. The donation is described as the largest ever private donation made to UNHCR.

    Smålandsposten 21 March 2012 (in Swedish)

[Roope]

Thursday 22 March to Friday 23 March 2012

PM calls for more IT to be used in internal security

Estonia 

The Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip calls for the coming IT agency for Justice and Home Affairs to become a centre of excellence. The PM praised the EU Commission's attempts to reform the Schengen system. The reforms include more supervision concerning border crosses which will "reduce risks related to illegal migration."

Baltic News Summary 22 March 2012 (in English)

Finnish Immigration Service to learn about sexual minorities

Finland 

The Finnish Immigration Service has requested the Association for Sexual Equality (SETA) to provide its employees with training on issues of sexual orientation, the basic concepts concerning sexual identity and, for example, appropriate interview practices. The aim is to improve the immigration officials' capacity to recognise individuals who apply for asylum on the basis of persecution for their sexual orientation or sexual identity. The Finnish Immigration Service has come under criticism for deporting homosexual asylum-seekers to countries where homosexuality is considered a crime or even can lead to a death sentence.

Yle Uutiset 22 March 2012 (in Finnish)
Yle Svenska Nyheter 22 March 2012 (in Swedish)
Yle News 22 March 2012 (in English)

The child's best interest does not overrule other considerations

Norway 

On 21 March a parliamentary debate about asylum policy took place. PM Jens Stoltenberg stated that it is important to consider the child's best interest, but it should not overrule other considerations. - We want a fair and predictable set of rules. That is why we cannot open up for a system which awards people who cheat with their identity, and give wrong information about where they come from. Moreover, we cannot give special treatment in cases where parents push their children in front of them, said PM Jens Stoltenberg. In addition, he said that softening the rules for the children in question would be a pull factor for parents as well as siblings since families make up 40 per cent of all asylum-seekers. The PM added that the asylum policy must be fair and asked what he should tell the 600 children who were returned last year if the rules are liberalised now. Jens Stoltenberg announced possible changes to the asylum legislation by limiting the current comprehensive right to appeal. These changes may already be announced in the Government's white paper later this year.

VG Nett 21 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad 21 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
NRK 21 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen 21 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
Møre si Nettutgåve 22 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
Nettavisen 21 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

2,500 asylum-seekers looking for housing

Norway 

During the debate in Parliament on Wednesday 21 March Jens Stoltenberg argued that the people in need of protection should be the ones in focus. - The idea behind handling managing the asylum policy is to take care of the ones in need of protection. Our problem is that there are 2,459 people in the reception centres right now in need of housing, who have been persecuted and need protection, but that the municipalities say 'no' to. My problem is to find housing for the ones who need it. And that is why we cannot find room for more people, said PM Jens Stoltenberg.

Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen 21 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Police: More difficult to deport criminal asylum-seekers than families

Norway 

In 2011 the National Police Immigration Service (PU) was ordered to increase the return rate of asylum-seekers to 4,600 per year, which means an average of 20 returns per working day. Oslo police representative Eirik B. Wilmann argues that the process should be changed. – If PU could use its resources as it sees fit, without being controlled from above, it would be content with 3,000 deportations per year. This would free resources to, in cooperation with other police districts, deport the people that society really does not wish to be here. These are people who sell narcotics, rape, rob, and break into peoples' homes, Erik B. Willmann says. He adds that he would rather see one criminal asylum-seeker be put on a plane and deported than ten tax-paying families with children. The Chief of PU Ingrid Wirum disagrees with the statement and refers to numbers showing that there was an increase of 50 per cent in deported convicted criminal asylum-seekers last year. State Secretary from the Ministry of Justice Pål K. Lønseth is also very pleased with PU's efforts.

VG Nett 22 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
Klassekampen 22 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
NRK 22 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
Møre si Nettutgåve 22 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Minister: No connection between return agreement and aid to Ethiopia

Norway 

The Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim answers accusations from the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) by stating that there is absolutely no connection between the return agreement with Ethiopia and the increase in aid to the country. - When we have increased development assistance, it is because Ethiopia is one of Africa's biggest success stories, both in terms of economic and social development. Amongst other things, it is one of the countries in the world that has done most to meet the Millennium Development Goals, says Erik Solheim.

The Foreigner 20 March 2012 (in English)

Per Sandberg (FrP) wants DNA-testing in cases of family reunification

Norway 

The Progress Party's Per Sandberg (FrP) believes that comprehensive family reunification should be changed. – It is the family reunification policy that makes it unmanageable and difficult to integrate, especially for the municipalities. But if this has to carry on, we must use DNA-testing to make sure that the children have the right father, says Per Sandberg. He adds that families should be reunited in the place where they have the largest collective attachment. Per Sandberg criticises the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI) for giving the refugees a formula to have more wives and children coming to Norway. According to UDI, refugees from some countries may have to make difficult choices because they have more than one wife. Snorre Sæther from UDI answers Per Sandberg's criticism by saying that it is important to prevent these situations, but cannot guarantee that some may bend the rules. In that case he adds a divorce is the solution.

NRK 22 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
Nettavisen 22 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Continued internal dispute in the Labour Party

Norway 

Local members of the Labour Party (AP) want the asylum children affected by the Ethiopian return agreement to stay in Norway. At a meeting in Akershus on 24 March the youth wing will put forward a proposal that Akershus should ask the Government to put the possible deportations on hold until the Government's white paper is published this summer. – The Government's white paper on refugee children was supposed to be published one year ago, now we hope that it will include some changes that may include these children. As these children have been here for many years, we should be able to postpone the decisions for three more months, says Elin L`Estrange from the youth branch of the Labour Party.

Østlandets Blad 23 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
NRK 23 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Deported Iranian convert faced death threats in home country

Norway 

Iranian convert Behrooz Kafaei Zendehel had his asylum application rejected by the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) on the grounds that there was no risk connected with his Christian faith when returning to Iran. However, after being deported and arriving in Iran he was put in jail for some days. Bishop Tor Berger Jørgensen has been involved in the case and has talked to Behrooz Kafaei Zendehel after his arrival in Iran. – He has been threatened several times that he would be killed the next morning. You can only imagine what kind of threat that is, the Bishop says. Behrooz Kafaei Zendehel has managed to flee to Turkey where he got help from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and has applied for asylum. The Bishop does not think UNE has the qualifications needed to judge the religious beliefs of a person, and says that is the reason why Behrooz Kafaei Zendehel has ended up in this unfortunate situation. The Bishop is supported by other Bishops as well as the Norwegian-based humanitarian organisation Iran Human Rights.

Nettavisen 20 March 2012 (in Norwegian) 

Head of SÄPO new Director-General for Swedish Migration Board

Sweden 

On Thursday morning it was announced that Anders Danielsson, the current head of the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO), will become the new General-Director of the Swedish Migration Board (SMB).  – I have worked within the police force and the judicial service for 30 years and I regard the SMB and the migration issues as a part of the judicial service. He continued, stating – I am continuing my work in upholding human rights. He says the largest challenge he faces is to have short processing times and guarantee that the asylum seekers have access to an asylum determination procedure in accordance to the rule of law. Danielsson will take up his new post on the 23rd of April.

Dagens Nyheter 22 March 2012 (in Swedish)
Sveriges Televison Sydnytt 22 March 2012 (in Swedish)

More families to be reunited

Sweden 

The Swedish Migration Board (SMB) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have jointly requested to receive 132 million SEK in order to handle all the applications from Somali families to be reunited with their families in Sweden. After two years of no applications having been processed, 20,000 Somalis are expected to apply the coming two years. The goal of the SMB is to have the families reunited as soon as possible. Many children live in harsh conditions in their home countries. Two years ago the Migration Court of Appeal decided that all Somali reunification applications should be stopped due to their ID papers not being approved. However, this year the Court did a u-turn, which means that the SMB needs to process a backlog of 12,000 applications. This is estimated to take two years. Several municipalities are now expecting hundreds of children and are subsequently appealing to the government for assistance.

Dagens Nyheter 22 March 2012 (in Swedish)
Norra Sidan 22 March 2012 (in Swedish)

[Roope]

Saturday 24 March to Monday 26 March 2012

More people seeking asylum in EU than last year

Denmark 

New statistics from Eurostat show that 301,000 people applied for asylum last year in the EU-countries. That is an increase of 40,000 compared to both 2010 and 2009. France was the country with the most applications; 56,300. Compared by population Malta, Luxembourg, and Sweden received the most applications for asylum. Most asylum-seekers seeking asylum in the EU come from Afghanistan, Iran, and Syria. The EU asylum system has been under pressure last year, and at least 60,000 people illegally entered Greece. The Ministers of Justice from the member states are currently looking into how to solve the problem at the EU's external borders.

DR 23 March 2012 (in Danish)
TV2 23 March 2012 (in Danish) 
Politiken 23 March 2012 (in Danish)
Jyllands-Posten 23 March 2012 (in Danish)
NB: This story was also covered in Norway
Hegnar 23 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
VG Nett 23 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Traumatised refugees in statistics of early retirement benefits

Denmark 

The number of immigrants of non-western origin on early retirement benefits has ten-doubled the past 20 years. In1990 the number was 2,979 compared to 27,375 in 2010.  – It is very obvious that if you look at some of the nationalities of the refugees, they make up a large part of the people on early retirement benefits. We know from the people who process these cases that there are some traumas of war which are the cause of the early retirement, says researcher Marie Louise Schultz-Nielsen from the Rockwool Foundation. The Government is currently working on reforms concerning early retirement benefits. The Danish People's Party will put forward a proposal stating that refugees may only receive these benefits if they have lived in Denmark four fifths of their lives from age 15.

Berlingske 26 March 2012 (in Danish)
BT 26 March 2012 (in Danish)

Eurostat: Estonia has few asylum-seekers in relation to the EU

Estonia 

Eurostat recently published a report stating Estonia to be the third most unpopular country for third country nationals to seek asylum in. This is true both in relative and absolute terms, with a mere 85 applications. In 2011, 15 applicants were granted asylum, of whom 5 were granted the status as refugees. In total, 301,000 people sought asylum in the EU during 2011.

Baltic News Summary 23 March 2012 (in English)

Latvia faces highest levels of illegal immigration in the Baltic region

Latvia 

One of the key countries of origin for the illegal immigrants is Georgia. Latvia is predominantly used as a transit country for asylum-seekers who are seeking refuge in Western Europe and Scandinavia. Lithuanian police is now seeking to uphold its border guard liaison office desks in Georgia and Belarus. During the past two years, the number of illegal immigrants has risen steadily, with several seeking asylum before escaping holding centres to proceed to their intended country of destination.

Baltic News Summary 24 March 2012 (in English)

PM: Lithuanians' negative attitude towards immigrants will change slowly

Lithuania 

Lithuania's Prime Minister, Andrius Kubilius, says negative attitudes amongst Lithuanians towards immigrants are a problem, and it will take time to change public opinion. He is now calling for a long-term strategy that will address, amongst other things, the level of bureaucracy facing labour immigrants. He also called for a shift in Lithuanian mentality so that labour immigrants are increasingly seen as such. Some experts are warning Lithuania's administration that the country might face a shortage of skilled labour after an economic recovery occurs.

Baltic News Summary March 24 2012 (in English)

Less asylum-seekers but higher approval rate of applications

Norway 

New statistics from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) show that 9,053 people applied for asylum in 2011. This is a decrease of about 50 per cent in number of asylum-seekers compared to numbers in 2009 when the number was 17,226. – The decrease is especially significant in the number of Russian asylum-seekers, with 42 per cent less than in 2010, says UDI Director Ida Børresen. The largest groups of asylum-seekers come from Somalia, Eritrea, and Afghanistan. As the number of applications has dropped the approval rate has gone up from 41 per cent in 2012 to 52 per cent in 2011. The processing time for applications has also been speeded up so that the average today is about 6 months compared to a few years ago when it was about 9 months.

Utrop 25 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

U-turn in Labour Party's regional support on asylum policy

Norway 

Last weekend during the annual regional Labour Party (Ap) meetings, four regions voted against the current asylum policy, sending PM Jens Stoltenberg and the Government the message that the party was split on the issue. This weekend seven out of eight regions voted in favour of the current asylum policy, which meant that they do not want to put on hold the cases of 450 asylum children in danger of being deported. – That seven regions vote in favour of the Government's decision show a broad support for the overall asylum policy. There are many children who stay in Norway, but that does not mean that everyone who has children can stay, says Ap's party secretary Raymond Johansen. He adds that giving amnesty to these 450 children would be a liberalisation of the policy, which would eventually lead to an increase in the number of asylum-seekers in Norway.

Bergens Tidende 25 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
ABC Nyheter 25 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
Aftenposten 25 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
VG Nett 25 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
NRK 25 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

NOAS: Put cases of asylum children on hold

Norway 

As the first of the 450 asylum children facing deportation has been sent to Sarajevo with her family, the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) continues to call for a hold of return of asylum children who have lived long in Norway. Jon Ole Martinsen from NOAS says that these cases, which may fall under the changes being made in the Government's white paper on refugee children to be published this summer, ought to be put on hold until the white paper is official. He stresses the fact that the cases involve children who are now rooted in Norway.

VG Nett 23 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
TV2 23 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Asylum-seekers detained for years

Sweden 

There are several people whom after having been sentenced to be deported, are either imprisoned or detained for years. This is because the deportation has not been carried out due to multiple reasons. One of them is 20 year old Kinado, who has been imprisoned for 2,5 years because he cannot be deported. Although having been sentenced to be deported, he lacks ID documents and his home country Zimbabwe is unwilling to accept his return. Despite not having committed a felony, he is not allowed visits or leave, and is locked in his cell between 14-15 hours per day.

Sveriges Television Västmanlandsnytt 26 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Terrified Syrians flee their home town

UNHCR in the news 

After days of intense fighting, the exodus of inhabitants from the town of Saraqeb has intensified. Meanwhile, on the Syrian-Turkish border, landmines have been placed by the Syrian army. According to UNHCR, 40 000 Syrians have been forced to flee the country, with many more being internally displaced.

Yle 24 March 2012 (in Finnish)
Yle Svenska Nyheter 24 March 2012 (in Swedish)
Dagbladet 25 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

[Roope]

Tuesday 27 March to Wednesday 28 March 2012

Large drop in number of family reunifications

Denmark 

According to Statistics Denmark, the number of residence permits given on the basis of family reunification has dropped by 39 per cent in 2011 from 2010. Persons with Thai and Filipino nationalities continue to be the largest groups given residence on the basis of family reunification. Simultaneously the number of residence permits given in connection with asylum applications has increased with 6 per cent in 2011 from 2,124 to 2,250 cases. Statistics Denmark points to the fact that new stricter rules regarding family reunification were introduced last year, making it more difficult to be eligible.

    Politiken 27 March 2012 (in Danish)
    Berlingske 27 March 2012 (in Danish)
    DR Nyheder 27 March 2012 (in Danish)
    Jyllands-Posten 27 March 2012 (in Danish)

Border guards allocated funds for operations in Georgia and Belarus

Latvia 

The Latvian government has allocated more than 113,800 Euro to retain the border guard liaison desks in Georgia and Belarus comes as the EU ends its role as project financier. The liaison officers train Georgian border guards in detecting fake travel documents and help Latvian embassy staff in inspecting Schengen Visa applications. The liaison offices also represent the interests of Lithuania and Estonia.

    Baltic News Summary March 27 2012 (in English)

Radical Islamic cleric Mullah Krekar sentenced to five years in prison

Norway 

Norway has not been able to deport Mullah Krekar to Iraq since he might be persecuted when returning. Now he has been sentenced to five years in prison for making death threats towards a former government minister and several Muslims who he believed had abandoned their faith. He has appealed the ruling. Krekar came to Norway as a quota refugee in 1991, but Norway has later tried to deport him from the country. Krekar has openly voiced his support for Islamic terrorists and encouraged holy war. Krekar has been declared a threat towards national security in Norway.

    Aftenposten 26 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Views and News from Norway 26 March 2012 (in English)

New statistics on unaccompanied minors

Norway 

Statistics Norway (SSB) has just published a report about unaccompanied minors and their participation in the labour market as well as in educational institutions. - 46 per cent, or two out of three, of the unaccompanied minors were either in employment or in education at the end of 2009. This is much lower than the total population, where 85 per cent is in employment or in education, states SSB. Amongst Norwegians with an immigrant background the number is 83 per cent. The report also shows that the level of activity of unaccompanied minors differs according to age and nationality.

    Utrop 27 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Faults found at accommodation centres for unaccompanied minors

Sweden 

After an investigation, 45 out of 115 accommodation centres for unaccompanied minors have been found to be negligent in their documentation of provided treatment to the youth. During the last two years, 5,000 unaccompanied minors have entered Sweden, most of them stay at accommodation centres. The head of supervision at the National Board of Health and Welfare, Per-Anders Sunesson, says the situation is completely unacceptable. The journal is important as it documents what efforts have been made for these youths. In one incident, a youth was described a lot of painkillers, without the dosage having been documented.

    SVT Rapport 27 March 2012:1 (in Swedish)
    SVT Rapport 27 March 2012:2 (in Swedish)

Minister Gunilla Carlsson: Sweden should not arm Syrian rebels

Sweden 

After a recent visit to Turkey, Gunilla Carlsson, Minister for International Development Cooperation, states that Sweden is prepared to help those in need, and believes a peaceful resolution is needed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is awaiting a report by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and UNHCR which is to estimate the financial cost of helping Syrian refugees. According to OCHA, 135 million dollars are needed the next three months. Meanwhile, UNHCR has already estimated costs to reach 84 million dollars the next 6 months.

    SVT Rapport 26 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Aftonbladet 26 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Government expert on apathetic refugee children joins extremist party

Sweden 

In 2005, doctor Thomas Jackson was appointed by the former Government as an expert for a commission that examined the mental health of apathetic refugee children. Citing Jackson as its main source on the issue, the commission stated a possible cause of the syndrome was that the children were simulating their mental state. In an interview with the state run Swedish Television, Jackson stated – I argue that the parents are encouraging, or are close to forcing the children to lie sick and still. It has now emerged that the doctor has joined a right-wing party called "Svenskarnas Parti".

    Expressen 28 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    SVT Kulturnyheterna 26 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio P4 Norrbotten 26 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Hela Hälsingland 26 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio P1 26 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Västerbottens Folkblad 27 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Nyheter24 26 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Aftonbladet 26 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Metro 26 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Refugees forced to wait for municipality places

Sweden 

During the last ten years, Sweden has seen a large scale increase of unaccompanied minors seeking refuge in the country. The trend is striking; in 2002, 500 were welcomed, by 2012 some 3,100 are expected. This has led to a lack of homes available for the minors; this is partly caused by some municipalities refusing to accept the minors. As an effect, many are forced to live for months in reception centres. As of today, 400 unaccompanied minors are awaiting homes to be allocated to them.

    TV4 Nyheterna 26 March 2012 (in Swedish)

UNHCR warns the lives of 16,000 refugees are in danger

UNHCR in the news 

There is renewed conflict between Sudan and South Sudan along their mutual border. The fighting is amongst the worst experienced since South Sudan became independent. UNHCR is now warning that the lives of 16,000 refugees are in danger, as their camps are in the vicinity of the violence-ridden border zone.

    SVT Rapport 27 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    TV4 Nyheterna 27 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Aftenbladet 27 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Turun Sanomat 28 March 2012 (in Finnish)

20 per cent increase of asylum-seekers to industrialised countries

UNHCR in the news 

New statistics from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) show people seeking asylum in 44 industrialised countries have increased from 368,000 in 2010 to 441,300 in 2011. Southern European countries have experienced the largest influx of asylum-seekers of which many have arrived by boat to Italy and Malta. The largest group of asylum-seekers were from Afghanistan with 35,700 applications to the industrialised countries last year, an increase of 34 per cent from 2010. According to UNHCR, the turmoil in West Africa and in the Arab world was reflected in record levels of asylum-seekers from Côte d'Ivoire, Libya, Syria, and other countries in 2011 with 16,700 more claims than in 2010. The number of asylum-seekers in 2011 was the highest since 2003, when more than 505,000 applications were registered in industrialised countries. – Still, it is important to put these figures in perspective. The number of asylum claims received across all industrialised countries is still smaller than the population of Dadaab, a single refugee camp in northeast Kenya, says António Guterres the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees.

    Berlingske 27 March 2012 (in Danish)
    VG Nett 27 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    BT 27 March (in Danish)
    NRK 27 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    P4 27 March 2012 (in Norwegian)
    DR P1 27 March 2012 (in Danish)
    Dagens Nyheter 27 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Göteborgs Posten 27 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Svenska Dagbladet 27 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Borås Posten 27 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Aamulehti 27 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    Helsingin Sanomat 27 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    Ilta-Sanomat 27 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    MTV3 Uutiset 27 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    Turun Sanomat 27 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    Vasabladet 27 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Yle 27 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    Österbottens Tidning 27 March 2012 (in Swedish)

[Roope]

Thursday 29 March to Friday 30 March 2012

New Human Right's Commissioner focuses on immigrants' rights

Latvia 

Nils Muižnieks, the new Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights from Latvia, says that among other issues he will focus on immigrants' rights. - Migration is currently criminalised, migrants are placed in short-term detention facilities as soon as they arrive in a country. Migrants have minimal rights, and children who have arrived in a country on their own are especially unprotected, says the Commissioner. Muižnieks adds that he is determined to look into living conditions in asylum centres. - Central and Eastern European countries, which used to be emigration countries, are now becoming immigration countries, Muižnieks says. Moreover, he finds the issue of non-citizens and especially non-citizen children in Latvia and Estonia to be very pressing.

    Baltic News Summary 29 March 2012 (in English)

More asylum-seekers to Europe, but less asylum-seekers to Norway

Norway 

New statistics from the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI) show that the number of asylum-seekers is almost half that of 2009. Meanwhile the number of asylum-seekers to Europe has increased by 40,000 people in 2011. Ida Børresen from UDI states that the main reason for the decrease in Norway is the tightening of the asylum policy. She adds that Norway has a strict asylum policy in line with other European countries. Andreas Furuseth from the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) finds it is misleading to think that Norway has a liberal asylum policy. NOAS would like to see that asylum-seekers were more evenly spread out in the European countries. UNHCR has recently published statistics on asylum-seekers registered in 44 industrialised countries, showing an increase from 368,000 claims in 2010 to 441,300 in 2011. 

    NRK 29 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Agreement reached concerning reception centres for asylum-seekers

Sweden 

The Swedish Migration Board (SMB) has successfully reached an agreement with ten municipalities concerning the creation of a total of 1,221 temporary reception centre places for asylum-seekers. The places will be available in May. In 2012, some 31,000 people are expected to apply for asylum in Sweden and there is subsequently large pressure on reception centres. SMB and the municipalities are now to see how for example access to education and healthcare is to be secured.

    Dagens Nyheter 29 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sydsvenska Dagbladet 29 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Östran 30 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Sweden receives criticism from UN's Committee against Torture

Sweden 

A Bangladeshi man who had been rejected asylum and ordered to leave Sweden has now been granted permanent residency. The decision came after Sweden received criticism from UN's Committee against Torture (CAT) who ruled that the man risked being tortured if sent back. The man was persecuted and tortured in his country of origin because of his political activism and sexual orientation. Sweden has received criticism from CAT multiple times, such as the 2001 deportation of the two Egyptians Agiza and Al Zery.

    Dagens Juridik 28 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Custodians of unaccompanied minors lack education

Sweden 

A recent study has found the quality of the accommodation centres for unaccompanied minors to be lacking in terms of activities offered, the qualification of the personnel and ability to handle psychologically unstable youth. The nation-wide association of legal guardians (GMF - Riksförbundet Gode Män och Förvaltare) argues that many custodians lack the competence required. Currently, there is no required education to become a custodian. GMF is calling for obligatory education of custodians. According to GMF every fifth minor is unhappy with the help they have received from the accommodation centres.

    Sveriges Television Rapport 29 March 2012:1 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Television Rapport 29 March 2012:2 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Television Rapport 27 March 2012:3 (in Swedish)

[Roope]

Saturday 31 March to Monday 2 April 2012

Five people in prison after Right-wing rally in Aarhus

Denmark 

89 people were arrested and five are now in prison after a demonstration held by anti-Islamic and right-wing organisations. The demonstration evoked a counter-demonstration for diversity. The imprisoned people participated in the counter-demonstration. Most of the demonstrators came from other parts of Denmark or from other European countries.

    Copenhagen Post 30 March 2012 (in Danish)
    Politiken 31 March 2012 (in Danish)
    Politiken 1 April 2012 (in Danish)

N.B. this story was also covered in Sweden and Finland

    Göteborgs Posten 1 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Expressen 31 March 2012 (in Swedish)
    Yle Uutiset 31 March 2012 (in Finnish)

Shortcomings in language analysis for asylum-seekers in Finland

Finland 

The Swedish Radio has revealed shortcomings in language analyses conducted by the company "Skandinavisk Språkanalys Ab – Sprakab for the Swedish Migration Board (SMB). SMB uses this company to determine an asylum-seeker's country of origin. The same company has done most of the language analyses ordered by the Finnish Immigration Board during the past two years. However, the Finnish Immigration Board says language analysis is only part of the evidence used in assessing asylum claims. The Finnish Refugee Advice Centre and other refugee lawyers say language analysis is often the decisive factor when determining a person's country of origin. The UN Refugee Agency questions language analysis and underlines that the analysis should be of a certain national standard. Hanne Mathisen from UNHCR states that migration authorities should not put too much emphasis on the language analysis.

    Svenska Yle Radar 30 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Immigrant prisoners face racism

Finland 

A recent report shows prisoners with immigrant background face racism in Finland. The scholar Helena Huhta says all prisoners with Arabic or African background included in the research had experienced racism. The prisoners face racism from other prisoners and guards. There are some 3,300 prisoners in Finland, some 12 per cent of them have a foreign background.

    Yle Uutiset 2 April 2012 (in Finnish)

Rejected asylum-seekers cannot always be deported

Finland 

Some people who have been refused asylum in Finland cannot be deported and are waiting in limbo. The Finnish Aliens Act forbids deportation to places in conflict or war and therefore the police cannot execute all deportation orders. Those who cannot be deported, have no residence permit, no social security number, no right to healthcare - except for emergency care - and no official documents. According to Stina Hafrén, lawyer at the Finnish Refugee Advice Centre, these persons should get a temporary residence permit. However, the Finnish migration authorities say a temporary residence permit is a problematic status and underline that one can always return voluntarily.

    Yle Svenska Radar 30 March 2012 (in Swedish)

Routes to Norway for illegal immigration

Norway 

Norway is one of the most popular destinations for human-smugglers of asylum-seekers. In a recently published report Europol describes how human-smugglers monitor in which European countries it is best to apply for asylum. – A safe country where you can have a future, a place where it is good to live for you and your children. In addition, there is a network of people who already come from the same countries. Furthermore, the asylum- and immigration policy plays a role, says researcher Jan-Paul Brekke. Norway receives fewer asylum-seekers today compared to 2009. The police believe that the tightening of the country's asylum policy was quickly observed by asylum-seekers and human-smugglers, and this explains a part of the decrease.

    NRK 31 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

    NRK Lørdagsrevyen 31 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

Private providers of reception centres make hundreds of millions in profit

Sweden 

Currently, around 40 private companies, including Carema and Attendo, run reception centres for unaccompanied minors. Of these, a third had a profit margin of more than 15 per cent in 2010, with some registering a 30 per cent profit margin. Municipalities are also making a profit; as the state provides a fixed sum per day per unaccompanied minor, municipalities are able to make a profit by providing cheaper than normal services. This occurs in Uppsala, where unaccompanied minors who have turned 18 are moved to flats with no staff. By implementing this policy, Uppsala municipality made a ten per cent profit from the state subsidies it received. Uppsala municipality is the largest receiver of unaccompanied minors in Sweden.

    Sveriges Television Rapport 1 April 2012 (in Swedish)

S politician faces criticism over his private reception centres

Sweden 

The National Board of Health and Welfare and municipalities have directed fierce criticism towards privately run reception centres for unaccompanied minors. The reception centres were previously owned by Jan Emanuel Johansson, a Social Democratic politician. The criticism has emerged after the revelation that the privately run centres have insufficient staffing, poor quality care including disrespectful treatment of minors, and rundown homes. In one home, 1 out of every 3 SEK of state funding has been registered as profit. Johansson sold his ownership of the company but still owns shares in the venture capital firm that currently runs the centres, of which he receives annual dividends.

    Sveriges Television Rapport 1 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Svenska Dagbladet 1 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Östran 2 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Nyheter 24 1 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio Ekot 1 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Expressen 1 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Few Roma receive asylum

Sweden 

Nearly all Roma who seek refuge in Sweden have been denied asylum. One of them is 15 year old Gjansu who was held as a sex slave in her country of origin before fleeing. The Swedish Migration Board argues that her protection needs cannot be proven.

    Sveriges Radio P1 1 April 2012 (in Swedish)

100,000 forced to flee in Pakistan

UNHCR in the news 

Intense battles between government forces and members of the Taliban and al-Qaeda rebel forces have forced 100,000 civilians to flee northern Pakistan. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) states that the situation for the civilian population has worsened lately and warns that more people will be forced to flee. – On an average there are more than 2,000 families arriving to the refugee camps every day, and the number is growing, says UNHCR. Rebel groups with ties to the Taliban and al-Qaeda have killed more than 5,000 people since 2007, when the Pakistani Government began to fight these groups in the northern part of the country.

    Jyllands-Posten 30 March 2012 (in Danish)
    TV2 30 March 2012 (in Danish)
    Yle Uutiset 30 March 2012 (in Finnish)
    Møre si Nettutgåve 2 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Nettavisen 30 March 2012 (in Norwegian)

[Roope]

Tuesday 3 April to Wednesday 4 April 2012

Parliament scraps bill that sought to change citizenship law

Estonia 

The opposition Center party has seen its bill which sought to reform the current citizenship law voted down in Parliament by the current Government. The bill sought to grant citizenship at birth to all children born in Estonia regardless of the citizenship of the child's parents, provided the parents had a long-term residence permit. The Center party also wished to exempt citizenship applicants of 65 years and over from the Estonian language test. Similar bills were defeated in 2007, 2008 and 2010.

    Baltic News Summary 3 April 2012 (in English)

Court believes in asylum-seeker

Finland 

The District Court of Kymenlaakso has rejected the charges against a Somali asylum-seeker accused of false statements to the authorities. The language analysis showed the asylum-seeker was from northwest Somalia or Djibouti, when she herself claimed to be from southern Somalia. There was also contradicting information regarding the woman's educational background. However, these contradictions were not considered as sufficient proof of a false statement regarding the asylum-seeker's native place.

    Kymen Sanomat 3 April 2012 (in Finnish)

Supreme Administrative Court halts deportation of homosexual man

Finland 

The Supreme Administrative Court has begun to process a Zimbabwean homosexual asylum-seeker's claim. During this procedure no deportation can take place. Homosexuality is forbidden by law in Zimbabwe. In January the Supreme Administrative Court halted the deportation of an Iranian homosexual asylum-seeker.

    Yle 2 April 2012 (in Finnish)

Act on integration difficult for many municipalities

Finland 

In Finland most immigrants live in the capital area. According to the new Act on integration, integration support should increasingly be achieved through services bought from immigrant organizations. This creates problems for municipalities outside the capital area that often lack immigrant organizations to buy the services from. The new law came into force in August 2011.

    Yle Svenska Nyheter 3 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Reception centre opens its doors to citizens with disabilities

Lithuania 

A reception centre in Rukla, providing state support for integration of unaccompanied minors and people granted asylum in Lithuania, now opens its doors for adult Lithuanian citizens with disabilities. It is to accommodate up to 40 people with disabilities coming from other social care institutions. Since 2009, the flow of asylum-seekers to Lithuania has declined significantly thus reducing the number of persons living in reception centres. As a result, last year it was decided to extend the activities of the centre - to provide long-term and short-term social care for adults with disabilities. All people granted asylum and unaccompanied minors, are accommodated in a single residential building and the second building has been adapted for new activities.

    DELFI Žinios 30 March 2012 (in Lithuanian)
    Lietuvos Rytas 30 March 2012 (in Lithuanian)
    Balsas 30 March 2012 (in Lithuanian)

Minister of Justice and Public Security sued by 340 Ethiopians

Norway 

In January Norway signed a return agreement with Ethiopia. Now 340 of the rejected asylum-seekers in danger of being deported are suing the Minister of Justice and Public Security Grete Faremo stating they will risk persecution if sent back to Ethiopia. – It is against Norwegian law to return these people, says Girum Zeleke who represents the 340 rejected asylum-seekers. Seleke adds those who are forcibly returned to Ethiopia are in danger because of the dictatorship. The Ministry of Justice is informed about the lawsuit through the lawyer Bent Endresen. Communication advisor Tonje Torsgard at the Ministry of Justice and Public Security says it is too early to comment as they have not yet received the lawsuit.

    Aftenposten 2 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Fri Fagbevegelse 2 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Hegnar 3 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Møre si Nettutgåve 2 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Aftenbladet 2 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad Blad 2 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Vårt Land 3 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Utrop 3 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    NRK 2 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Positive signals from the Supreme Court on homosexuality

Norway 

On 29 March 2012, the Norwegian Supreme Court ruled on a case regarding a male homosexual asylum-seeker from Iraq. The man had previously been rejected asylum by the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI), the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board) UNE as well as by the District Court and Jury Court. The previous rulings stated that even though the man was in danger of persecution if returned to his home country, he would be able to hide his sexuality due to the socio-cultural norms of the country. The new Supreme Court ruling states that it is not enough to refer to socio-cultural norms on a general level, and individual assessment must be carried out. If a person hides his or her sexual orientation in fear of being persecuted, this should give grounds for asylum. The ruling is in line with the guidelines from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) which state that a person cannot be expected to hide his or her identity in fear of persecution.

    Blikk 2 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Municipality travels to Kenya to assess needs of refugees

Sweden 

Växjö municipality is expected to receive 700 Somalis who are to be reunified with their families. In order to be well prepared to meet the needs of the refugees, municipality representatives are to travel to refugee camps in Kenya to interview several of the families who are to move to Växjö.

    Sveriges Radio Ekot 2 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Politician ran reception centre without permit

Sweden 

Jan Emanuel Johansson, a Social Democrat politician who is criticised for profiteering from the running of reception centres, has now been found to have failed to apply for required permits. In order to legally run a reception centre for unaccompanied minors with severe social issues, a permit needs to be provided by the National Board of Health and Welfare. However, during eight months, one of Johansson's reception centres, which is supposedly specialised in taking care of such minors, operated without a proper permit. It has also emerged that the staff lacked competence in the field. As a consequence, the staff has been unable to properly treat the minors, which has, amongst other things, led to one minor being prosecuted for criminal activity. The centre receives 6,700 SEK per day per minor, in relation to the 2,000 SEK provided for minors lacking severe social issues.

    Nyheter24 3 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Late payments constitutes a worry for refugees

Sweden 

Every month refugees receive their state payments nine days late. This is proving to be worrisome for people that have as yet not mastered the Swedish language, as they are forced to, amongst other things, pay their rent late every month. The Swedish Public Employment Agency in Borås is now calling for the Government to examine the current procedures.

    Sveriges Radio Ekot 2 April 2012 (in Swedish)

UNHCR is extremely concerned about Mali

UNHCR in the news 

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) the security as well as the political situation continues to worsen in Mali. Thousands of people are fleeing from their homes after the coup. Everyday during the last week, 400 people have crossed the borders from Mali into Mauritania and Burkina Faso. Many have had their money and personal belongings stolen whilst fleeing. – We are increasing our aid to refugees from Mali in the entire Sahel region. These people suffer from acute lack of drinking water and food, states UNHCR.

    Framtid i nord 3 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Møre si Nettutgåve 3 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Haugesunds Avis 3 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

UNHCR: refugees from Sarajevo still in need of help

UNHCR in the news 

The siege of Sarajevo in 1992 and the subsequent collapse of Yugoslavia created two million refugees. 20 years later the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) still has Sarajevo as a priority. – Today most of the people who had to flee their homes during the conflict from 1991 to 1995 are back in their original setting. But the remaining refugees and internally displaced persons in this part of Europe is still one of the five cases that UNHCR prioritises highly. An international donor conference will be held later this month, which UNHCR hopes will provide 500 million Euros of promised aid.

    VG Nett 3 April 2012 (in Norwegian) 

UNHCR: young North Africans not coming to Europe

UNHCR in the news 

Fewer young North Africans seek towards Europe. – In general people tend to stay when they see a positive development in their own country, which is the case now in more North African countries, explains Laura Boldrini from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). She builds her statement on numbers from UNHCR that are yet to be published. The numbers show 759 registered refugees on the Italian coasts from January to March this year. Same time last year the number was 20,000, and previous years also saw numbers higher than 2012. Laura Boldrini adds that there are always more refugees in spring and summer. Moreover, she does not expect the unrest in Syria to create a bigger influx of refugees to the EU, since many Syrians have already fled to Libya, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.

    Politiken 4 April 2012 (in Danish)
    Berlingske 4 April 2012 (in Danish)
    BT 4 April 2012 (in Danish)

Greeks take frustrations out on illegal immigrants

UNHCR in the news 

The frustration of the Greeks now hits the more than one million illegal immigrants, who everyday face racist and violent assaults in Greece. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has documented 63 racist assaults within the past three months alone. The real number is estimated to be much higher. Most of the immigrants live illegally in the country and are therefore afraid to report the assaults to the police or the authorities.

    Kristeligt Dagblad 4 April 2012 (in Danish)

[Roope]

Thursday 5 April to Wednesday 11 April 2012

Asylum-seekers avoid Denmark

Denmark 

The number of asylum-seekers to Europe increased by 19 per cent last year, whereas the number of asylum-seekers to Denmark decreased by 23 per cent during the same period. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has recently published statistics showing an uneven influx of asylum-seekers to Europe. Eva Singer from the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) says there is no systematic research on why asylum-seekers choose one country over another. However, one reason could be that human smugglers advise asylum-seekers where it is easiest to obtain asylum. According to Zenia Stampe from the Social Liberals the only sensible solution to this uneven distribution of asylum-seekers is to have a common EU policy. The Danish People's Party is opposed to an even distribution of asylum-seekers in EU, arguing it would lead to an increase in asylum-seekers in Denmark.

    Jyllands-Posten 8 April 2012 (in Danish)
    Politiken 7 April 2012 (in Danish)
    BT 10 April 2012 (in Danish)
    DR 7 April (in Danish)
    The Copenhagen Post 10 April 2012 (in Danish)

More Syrians seeking asylum in Denmark

Denmark 

In just three months, 222 Syrians have applied for asylum in Denmark, compared to 463 during 2011. Deputy Police Inspector at Sandholm asylum centre, Claus Birkelyng, states that it is easy to conclude that this is a consequence of the unrest in the region, but there have also been many asylum-seekers of Kurdish origin from Syria seeking asylum on various grounds.

    Berlingske 10 April 2012 (in Danish)
    BT 10 April 2012 (in Danish)
    Politiken 10 April 2012 (in Danish)

Increase in number of retired refugees and immigrants going home

Denmark 

Statistics from the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) show and increase in refugees and immigrants moving back home voluntarily from 370 in 2010 to 613 in 2011. Vagn Klim Larsen from DRC states that the largest groups to return voluntarily are elderly Bosnians, Turks, and Serbs. According to DRC, the rise of people repatriating is caused by the increase in financial support in 2010 to refugees and immigrants returning voluntarily. DRC advises immigrants to think carefully before returning as they lose their rights in Denmark immediately after leaving. A refugee can keep his or her rights by returning to Denmark within one year.

    DR 9 April 2012 (in Danish)
    Politiken 10 April (in Danish)
    BT 10 April 2012 (in Danish)
    Kristeligt Dagblad 10 April 2012 (in Danish)
    MetroXpress 10 April 2012 (in Danish)
    TV2 Østjylland 10 April 2012 (in Danish)

Decrease in number of naturalised new citizens

Estonia 

During the first quarter of 2012, a mere 166 people were granted Estonian citizenship. In comparison, the same period last year saw 366 people being granted citizenship. There are currently close to 97,000 people with undetermined citizenship living in Estonia, a number which has steadily decreased since the country regained its independence.  In 1992, stateless residents accounted for 32 per cent of the population, a figure which has currently fallen to 8 per cent.

    Baltic News Summary 5 April 2012 (in English)

Increase in number of persons granted asylum

Estonia 

During the first quarter of 2012 four persons were granted asylum in Estonia, an increase from the same period last year. The authorities also received 16 asylum claims during the same period. According to Eurostat, Estonia is an unpopular country to seek asylum in. Last year, Estonia received 85 asylum claims, the lowest number amongst EU member states. In comparison, its neighbouring countries Latvia and Lithuania, received 340 claims and 535 claims respectively.

    Baltic News Summary 9 April 2012 (in English)

Municipalities not interested in receiving refugees

Finland 

Municipalities received around 1,100 refugees and asylum-seekers last year. The Ministry of the Interior's goal was the double. In September 2011 the new integration law came into force; prolonging the financial compensation to municipalities for receiving refugees from three to four years. Despite this change, the willingness to receive refugees has not increased. Last year only 15 per cent of the municipalities opened their doors for refugees. For example Muurame municipality says that the financial situation makes it difficult for them to receive refugees. This year the demand for municipality places has decreased due to fewer asylum-seekers and is now 1,700 places.

    MTV 3 Uutiset 8 April 2012 (in Finnish)

Forced return of Ethiopians continue as planned

Norway 

More than 300 rejected asylum-seekers from Ethiopia have sued the State, arguing that the return agreement between Norway and Ethiopia should be stopped. Pål K. Lønseth State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, says that the deportations will be carried out as planned and that those who have been rejected asylum must return. Girum Zeleke, who represents the Ethiopians who have sued the State, says that many now consider church asylum. Pål K. Lønseth states that church asylum is not the solution. He points out that the Norwegian authorities will not give in to people choosing church asylum.

    Fri Fagbevegelse 4 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Vårt Land 4 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Asking for 93 million NOK to return asylum-seekers

Norway 

Norwegian police and the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI) wants to spend 93 million NOK in order to return some 800 rejected asylum-seekers. The police states that about half of the 800 people will be forcibly returned. State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Pål K. Lønseth, is positive towards the suggestion and adds that it is important with an efficient return policy. However, confirming the identity of the rejected asylum-seekers is often a problem states the National Police Immigration Service (PU).

    NRK 10 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Aftenposten 10 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Sweden directs aid towards Sahel region

Sweden 

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) has decided to redirect 32 million USD to the Sahel region, with a special focus on West Africa. This is in order to prevent a famine in the region, which is unstable for a number of reasons, amongst them the recent coup in Mali. The money is to be given to organisations such as UNICEF, UNHCR and FAO, which are providing humanitarian assistance. The region is experiencing a dry period which is longer than usual, with subsequent signs of malnourishment in children. Around 15,6 million people lack stable food supplies.

    Sveriges Radio 7 April 2012 (in English)
    Aftonbladet 7 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Aftonkuriren 8 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Sweden to help fund Syrian refugee response

Sweden 

Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) is to give 30 million SEK for providing humanitarian assistance to those internally displaced in Syria. The aid is to be given to organisations that are active in the country. The decision is a response to an appeal for funds from the UN organisations OCHA and UNHCR.

    Dagens Nyheter 5 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Dagens Industri 5 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    TV4 Nyheterna 5 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Increase in number of Somalis seeking asylum

Sweden 

The number of people seeking asylum has increased dramatically during the first quarter of 2012. A decision by the Migration Court of Appeal, which made it easier for Somalis to be reunited with their families, is believed to be the cause of the rise in the number of Somalis seeking asylum. Compared to the same period last year, there has been a 22 per cent increase in the number of asylum-seekers. This has led the Swedish Migration Board to increase the prognosis of the number of asylum-seekers to seek refuge in Sweden during 2012.

    Dagens Nyheter 6 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Göteborgs Posten 6 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Svenska Dagbladet 6 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Swedish Migration Board's staff often faces violence at work

Sweden 

In 2011, a total of 349 incidents were reported. Of them, 58 included violence against staff. According to Annette Carnhede, Chair of the Union of Civil Servants (ST), the situation is very serious. More than half of the incidents occurred at centres where rejected asylum-seekers await to be returned to their country of origin. According to a questionnaire commissioned by the Swedish Migration Board (SMB), 13 per cent of those asked has experienced violence or threats at work. ST argues that an increased pressure on its staff, inadequate time and need for more resources, can partly explain the problem. It also calls for increased staff education.

    Sydsvenska Dagbladet 9 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio Ekot 9 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    TV4 Nyheterna 9 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Asylum-seeker deported to the wrong country

Sweden 

The Swedish border police deported a rejected asylum-seeker to the wrong country. Instead of being sent to Iran, the man was sent to Iraq. Subsequently, the man has been held in an Iraqi police cell for 1,5 years. UNHCR has confirmed his detainment. He has been charged with falsely alleging to be an Iraqi citizen, which could lead to 15 years imprisonment. The man's legal representative in Sweden has finally managed to persuade Swedish officials to become involved in the man's case. The legal representative now hopes he will be allowed to return to Sweden as a quota refugee.

    Dagens Nyheter 5 April 2012 (in Swedish)

UNHCR, UNICEF, and WHO ask for money to Sahel region

UNHCR in the news 

- Children are the victims. In the worst case scenario many children will die, many families will suffer, says Anthony Lake from UNICEF during a press conference held with WHO and UNHCR. The Sahel region is heavily affected by drought, high food prices, and regional conflict.

    VG Nett 11 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Møre si Nettutgåve 10 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Dagbladet 12 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Dagsavisen 12 April 2012 (in Norwegain) 

[Roope]

Thursday 12 April to Friday 13 April 2012

New immigration rules implemented next month

Denmark 

The Government, which was elected last year, now seeks to keep its promises regarding adjustments in the immigration laws. Some of the changes include removing the point system, abolishing the immigration test, and eliminating some application fees. – We will be getting a new immigration policy that will better reflect the political sentiment, says Minister of Justice Morten Bødskov. He adds that the 24-year rule and the affiliation requirement will remain -  but that in the future the immigration laws will be used more to promote integration in Denmark.  Immigration lawyer, Åge Kramp, argues that although the adjustments are a step in the right direction, the shift is inadequate and the Danish immigration policy will still be far too harsh.

    The Copenhagen Post 12 April 2012 (in English)
    Jyllands-Posten 12 April 2012 (in English)

Study proposes higher threshold for some family reunification

Finland 

A new study on family reunification proposes that an income requirement could be applied also for persons granted humanitarian protection and who want to be reunited with their families. The report by the Finnish Ministry of the Interior also proposes that another study should be conducted to consider if a person already residing in Finland would need to meet specific housing standards before his or her family members could be granted residence permits. The new study will now be circulated for review and comment.

    STT 11 April 2012:1 (in Finnish)
    STT 11 April 2012:2 (in Finnish)
    Yle Uutiset 11 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Yle News 11 April 2012 (in English)
    Yle Svenska Nyheter 11 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Hufvudstadsbladet 11 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Turun Sanomat 11 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Kainuun Sanomat 11 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Kouvolan Sanomat 11 April 2012 (in Finnish)

Five Ethiopians returned without force

Norway 

According to the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI) and the National Police Immigration Service (PU), only five Ethiopians have returned so far, and none were forcibly returned. Ethiopian authorities require Norwegian police to take fingerprints of the people that are to be returned in order to provide correct travel documents. However, the Norwegian police is thus far uncertain if it has the authority to do so, which is the reason why so few have returned. Girum Zeleke, from the University of Stavanger and of Ethiopian origin, says that taking fingerprints will jeopardise the returnees' lives once they return to Ethiopia, as many of them have used fake identities. He adds that they will face severe punishment for falsification of documents.

    VG Nett 13 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    NRK 13 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Palestinian refugee camp in Oslo torn down

Norway 

For a year, 23 rejected Palestinian asylum-seekers have lived in a self-made refugee camp in the middle of Oslo. A decision from the municipality has now ordered the Palestinians to tear down the camp. One of the asylum-seekers says that the removal of the camp occurred in agreement with the municipality, but they did not really have any other choice. The rejected asylum-seekers have been offered to live in accommodation centres, but they want to be visible to the public. As one of the asylum-seekers says:– We are working politically for a fair asylum policy, which means that we have to stay in Oslo and be visible.

    VG Nett 12 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Dagbladet 12 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

NORCAP world's most active emergency force

Norway 

Norwegian Capacity (NORCAP) is an emergency force that has existed for 20 years and is currently the world's most active. Nearly 80 per cent of its missions are for the UN, and of these a third is for UNICEF and UNHCR. Currently, 70 per cent of the organisation's work is in North Africa and the Middle East.

    Bistandsaktuellt 13 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Refugees face lack of accommodation

Sweden 

Växjö municipality is expecting 500 Somali refugees who are to be reunited with their families during this year. As there is already a lack of accommodation in the municipality, the municipality has asked the neighbouring municipalities for help in providing accommodation. However, none of the neighbouring municipalities are prepared to help. Hence, the newly arrived refugees will have to expect to live in crowded flats with their already settled families.

    Sveriges Radio P4 10 April 2012 (in Swedish)

UNHCR: Up to 800,000 Afghans returning the next two years

UNHCR in the news 

The past year, hundreds of thousands refugees from Afghanistan have returned to their homes. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that about 400,000–800,000 Afghan refugees will return within this year and next year. Most of the refugees live in camps around Kabul. The camps are in poor condition and UNHCR is currently negotiating with the Afghan Government to get its support to establish 40 new and better camps.

    DR 13 April 2012 (in Danish)

[Roope]

Saturday 14 April to Monday 16 April 2012

Minister of Labour warns of unsuccessful integration

Finland 

The unemployment rate is three times higher among immigrants compared to native-born Finns. Minister of Labour Lauri Ihalainen sees this as one sign of unsuccessful integration. He says foreign-born persons are a big resource. If integration is not done in the right way there is a risk that Finland will have two separate labour markets, says Ihalainen. He adds that the State will invest more money to provide education to immigrants already at an earlier stage.

    Yle Uutiset 14 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Yle Svenska nyheter 14 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Taloussanomat 14 April 2012 (in Finnish)

Liberal Party attacks Government asylum-policy

Norway

At the Liberal Party's national convention, party leader Trine Skei Grande attacked the current Government's asylum policy. Skei Grande stated that the Liberal Party wants deportation of asylum children to be put on hold temporarily. She added that the practice must be one that focuses on the best interest of the child. She also warned against punishing the asylum seeking children who have grown up in Norway for their parents' or grandparents' mistakes.

    VG Nett 13 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    NRK 13 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Fri Fagbevegelse 13 April 2012 (in Norwegian) 
    Møre si Nettutgåve 13 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Adresseavisen 13 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

UN wants answers on Ethiopians' return

Norway 

In a letter to the Norwegian authorities, the UN questions, among other things, how Norway can guarantee the safety of Ethiopian returnees. The letter, signed by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights of Migrants, François Crépeau, states that the agreement does not have any guarantees that the asylum-seekers will not be exposed to harassment, persecution, discrimination or prosecuted upon return. In the letter, Crépeau is also critical of how the money that the Ethiopian asylum-seekers receive when they return will be used. Moreover, the UN is concerned about the part of the return agreement which states that Norwegian authorities commit to giving the Ethiopian authorities as much information as possible about the asylum-seekers.

    NRK 14 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Sweden received most unaccompanied minors in Europe during 2010-2011

Sweden 

According to the Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC) Sweden receives most unaccompanied minors in Europe. From 600 asylum applications in 2006, the number has increased to 2,500 annually during the last few years. In comparison, a mere 800 and 1,300 sought asylum in Norway and Great Britain respectively in 2011. According to Mikael Ribbenvik, Director for Legal Affairs at the Swedish Migration Board (SMB), the reason why unaccompanied minors arrive to Sweden is that they have good chances of obtaining asylum.

    Dagens Nyheter 15 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio Ekot 15 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Trelleborgs Allehanda 15 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Östran 15 April 2012 (in Swedish)

UNHCR: 181,000 people fleeing fighting in Pakistan

UNHCR in the news 

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) states that 10,000 new refugees arrive to its camp in Jalozai every day. – Most of them, up to 85 per cent, choose not to stay in the camp, but try to stay with family and friends or rent rooms elsewhere, states UNHCR. UNHCR has distributed more than 37,000 emergency aid kits lately. The fighting in Pakistan has intensified since mid January.

    Aftenposten 13 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

UNHCR helps Turkey with Syrian refugee influx

UNHCR in the news 

According to diplomats the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) sent 1,500 tents and 1,500 blankets to Turkey this week. Turkey has started to ask for international assistance and aid in handling the influx of Syrian refugees. Around 25,000 Syrian refugees now live in refugee camps in Turkey.

    VG Nett 13 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

[Roope]

Tuesday 17 April to Wednesday 18 April 2012

UN criticises Denmark concerning racist assault on refugee family

Denmark 

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination criticises Danish police for not investigating the case of an assault on an Iraqi refugee family in 2004. The Iraqi refugee family was attacked in their home by 35 youngsters – some of them armed. Four of the attackers were convicted of violence, vandalism and illegal possession of weapons, but a possible racist motive for the assault was never investigated. The family has unsuccessfully tried to take the case of racism to court. The Committee recommends that Danish authorities give the family a suitable compensation for material and moral damages caused by violations of UN conventions. The Committee also recommends that Denmark reviews its policy and guidelines on prosecution of alleged racial discrimination and racially motivated violence.

    Ringkøbing Skjern Dagbladet 16 April 2012 (in Danish)
    DR 16 April 2012 (in Danish)
    Jyllands-Posten 16 April 2012 (in Danish)
    The Copenhagen Post 17 April 2012 (in English)

Opposition fought against new family reunification rules

Denmark 

The Conservatives (C), the Liberal Party (V), and the Danish People's Party (DF) all voted against new family reunification rules making it easier for small children to stay with their families. However, the Government had sufficient support in Parliament when the agreement was negotiated in February. The legal amendments mean that children up to eight years old can be reunited with their families without the so-called integration evaluation. The Danish People's Party remains very critical of the changes and says that the Government is undermining the current rules. The Red-Green Alliance (Ø) is pleased but would like to see more changes in the same direction.

    Berlingske 17 April 2012 (in Danish)

Oulu opens a clinic for paperless persons

Finland 

A clinic for undocumented immigrants will open in a couple of weeks. Four doctors and two nurses have volunteered to work for the clinic. – There are around twenty to thirty paperless immigrants in Oulu, says Hannu Rahikainen, Head of the Deaconess Institute in Oulu. A similar clinic in Helsinki treated some 300 paperless persons last year.

    Yle 17 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Lapin Kansa 16 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Lääkärilehti 16 April 2012 (in Finnish) 

UDI expects to return Ethiopians soon

Norway 

Despite the return agreement between Norway and Ethiopia, very few rejected asylum-seekers have returned to Ethiopia. One of the issues delaying the process is that the Norwegian police doubt it has the authority to take fingerprints of the returnees. The Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI) views it as a practical problem, which will be solved soon. – Last week 68 people had sought to return voluntarily. As far as I know, the police have not carried out any forced returns yet, states Åsmund Eide from UDI.

    Dagbladet 16 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Vårt Land 16 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Decrease in number of asylum-seekers

Norway 

So far, 2,077 persons have applied for asylum in Norway this year, a decrease of three per cent compared to 2011. The most important source countries of asylum-seekers are Somalia, Afghanistan and Eritrea. The number of unaccompanied minors has also decreased in the first three months compared to the same period last year. Afghans constituted the largest group of unaccompanied minors with a total of 98 people seeking asylum. The Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI) and the National Police Immigration Service (PU) have temporarily stopped giving financial aid to people returning to Belarus, and as a result the number of asylum-seekers from Belarus has decreased significantly.

    Dagbladet 17 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Church of Norway deeply concerned about asylum policy

Norway 

The Church of Norway's recent church meeting showed an unanimous deep concern for the 450 children living as paperless immigrants in Norway. The church community is also concerned about converts being returned to countries where conversion is not accepted. – We expect the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) to listen to pastors, deaconesses and others who have thorough knowledge of the convert's story of conversion when the credibility of the person is evaluated, states the Church of Norway.

    Vårt Land 17 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Swedish Migration Board's facilities face criticism

Sweden 

Two of the Swedish Migration Board's facilities face criticism. One is a reception centre in Fellingsbro, which is specialised in accommodating pregnant asylum-seekers and asylum-seekers with children. Staff at the centre has sent a letter to the Government, informing that the infrastructure is not sufficient to meet the needs of the centre. The other case concerns an asylum unit in Boden. An investigation by the Parliamentary Ombudsmen criticises the unit for having long processing times and for how they conduct asylum cases of unaccompanied minors.

    Sveriges Television Tvärsnytt 16 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Television Nordnytt 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Green Party demands new law concerning family reunification

Sweden 

In 2011, the Green Party and the Government agreed upon the framework of a new immigration policy. The Green Party agreed to help the Government in order to secure the reunification of Somali families residing in Sweden with their children, but it has now emerged that the parties differ in their understanding of what they concluded. A promised alteration of the family reunification laws was never enacted. Instead the Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy argued that a precedence-setting case in the Migration Court of Appeal would be sufficient to secure the reunification of families. However, judges have interpreted the ruling differently, which has caused 100 cases to be rejected. Consequently, the Green Party is demanding a new law, which will secure the reunification of families.

    Dagens Nyheter 18 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio Ekot 18 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Angelina Jolie gets new UNHCR role

UNHCR in the news 

For ten years, Angelina Jolie has been working as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, visiting refugee centres in countries such as Iraq, Pakistan and Haiti. She has now been appointed Special Envoy of High Commissioner António Guterres. In her new role, she will represent the organisation on a diplomatic level, where she will focus her efforts on large scale humanitarian crises, such as those gripping Somalia and Afghanistan. - I do not think you need a rocket scientist to see the benefits that she is bringing in terms of the attention she is getting for the plight of the world's displaced, says Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for UNHCR in Geneva. - Angelina Jolie is very knowledgeable about displacement issues and has the ability to communicate in a way which raises interest and empathy. She is taken seriously by heads of state, says Hanne Mathisen, spokesperson for UNHCR in the Nordic countries. When asked if there can be a conflict between Angelina Jolie's commercial interests and her work for the UN, Mathisen replies that it is a potential problem which applies to all Goodwill Ambassadors. - It is important that the person has integrity which does not disturb the tasks he or she is given and that the artistic work and family life do not overshadow this. It is our impression that Jolie has the necessary integrity - she is genuinely concerned with the issue and has been an amazing Goodwill Ambassador for us, Mathisen adds.

    Aftenposten 18 April 2012 p: 19 (in Norwegian)
    Dagens Nyheter 18 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sydsvenska Dagbladet 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Gotlands Tidningar 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Helsingborgs Dagblad 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Gefle Dagblad 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Södermanlands Nyheter 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Göteborgs Posten 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Bohusläningen 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Ekuriren 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Hallands Posten17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Norrbottens Kuriren 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Länstidningen Östersund 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Ångermanland och Örnsköldsvik Allehand 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    meny.nu 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sundsvalls Tidning 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Vestmanlands läns Tidning 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Dalarnas Tidningar 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Ttela 17 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Yle 18 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Yle Svenska Nyheter 18 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    MTV3 18 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Jyllands-Posten 19 April 2012 (in Danish)
    Hegnar 18 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    TV2 Go' 18 April 2012 (in Danish)

Refugee Woman of the Year in Uganda

UNHCR in the news 

Uganda has chosen its first Refugee Woman of the Year. The Finnish Refugee Council (FRC) has already awarded 15 refugee women in Finland and decided to hand out a similar award in Uganda where FRC has worked for a long time. FRC, UNHCR and Uganda's ministry responsible for immigration were part of the award committee.

    Kansan Uutiset 16 April 2012 (in Finnish)

[Roope]

Thursday 19 April to Friday 20 April 2012

New task force to battle human smuggling

Lithuania 

Lithuania's new Minister of the Interior, Arturas Melianas, has set up a task force to improve coordination of prevention and control of human smuggling. The task force will analyse national and international legal acts as well as other documents and procedures, before submitting proposals on how to improve the Lithuanian system. The task force is expected to work for a few months and submit their proposals by October this year.

    Baltic News Summary 20 April 2012 (in English)

Liberal Party gaining support

Norway 

An opinion poll by Aftenposten shows a 3.5 per cent rise in the Liberal Party's popularity after the Party's national convention last weekend. The party would receive 7.8 per cent of the votes, had the election been today. This equals 14 seats in the parliament compared to its current two seats. – It is very encouraging, it is about people wanting a proper change with a better environmental policy and a humane asylum policy, says Trine Skei Grande, leader of the Liberal Party.

    Stavanger Avisen 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Aftenposten 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Trønder-Avisa 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Hegnar 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    ABC Nyheter 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Østlands-Posten 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Dagbladet 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Swedish Migration Board accused of breaking ethical guidelines

Sweden 

A man was requested to attend a meeting at the Swedish Migration Board's (SMB) office in Karlstad, believing he was to receive a notification. Instead, the police were hiding in an adjacent room, ready to arrest him. The action contravenes SMB's ethical guidelines.

    Dagens Nyheter 20 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Svenska Dagbladet 20 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Västerbottens Kuriren 20 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Victims of human trafficking often lack support when returning home

Sweden 

The majority of victims of human trafficking return to their home countries after a judicial process. Normally the state in which the exploitation is taking place should help the returnees finance their move. In Norway the authorities help the victims financially, but in Sweden returnees need to seek donations from a private foundation. Usually a sum of 25,000-50,000 SEK is needed in order for individuals to return home to a safe environment. According to Ekot, only six returnees out of 21, live in security.

    Sveriges Radio Ekot 20 April 2012 (in Swedish)

[Roope]

Saturday 21 April to Monday 23 April 2012

Free health clinic for illegal immigrants a success

Denmark 

The much debated free health clinic in Copenhagen for illegal immigrants has been a success. It has seen more than 500 requests the first six months of its existence. The organisations running the free clinic have now expanded the opening hours with one extra day. The patients at the clinic are from Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia and the Middle East. They seek dental care and various other treatments. A large part of the patients are pregnant women. Before the clinic opened the police said it would keep an eye on the clinic, but the police have not visited the clinic so far.

    Politiken 23 April 2012 (in Danish)
    BT 23 April 2012 (in Danish)
    DR 23 April 2012 (in Danish)

Deputy Ombudsman criticises immigration officials and police

Finland 

Deputy Ombudsman Maija Sakslin criticises the Finnish Immigration Service and Helsinki immigration police for slow processing time of residence permit applications. According to the law, an application for residence permit on the basis of family reunification should be processed within nine months. However, in one particular case the processing time took up to 18 months. Maija Sakslin says the time limit should only be exceeded in exceptional circumstances.

    Yle Uutiset 20 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Turun Sanomat 20 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Aamulehti 20 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    MTV 3 Uutiset 20 April 2012 (in Finnish)

No liberal asylum policy

Norway 

At the Progress Party's (Frp) national convention this Sunday, party leader Siv Jensen stated that the Party will not support a government that it is not a part of. Moreover she stated that there will be no liberal asylum policy in Norway, thereby rejecting the Liberal Party's idea of a less strict asylum policy.

    VG Nett 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Fri Fagbevegelse 22 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Nationen Politikk 22 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Avisa Nordhordland 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Indre Akershus Blad 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Lawsuit from 342 Ethiopians rejected

Norway 

A few weeks ago more than 340 paperless Ethiopians sued the State on the grounds that the recently signed return agreement between Norway and Ethiopia was a violation of human rights, and all returns should be halted until the lawsuit was carried through. On 17 April 2012 the office of the Attorney General rejected the case. According to the Attorney General's office the asylum applications are not based on the same factual and judicial grounds and should therefore be assessed individually. The Attorney General's office also states that the general security situation does not indicate that all plaintiffs upon return are in real danger of capital punishment, torture or other forms of inhumane or degrading treatment.

    Aftenbladet 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    NRK 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Vårt Land 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Somali refugees bring most family members to Norway

Norway 

Almost all asylum-seekers from Somalia seeking asylum in Norway are given residence permits. In 2011 some 1,334 Somalis arrived in Norway through family reunification. However, 51 per cent of the Somalis are also rejected family reunification. According to the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI), the reason for rejection is that many do not reach the income threshold, and sometimes there may be doubts about the identity and family relation. The reunification of families creates extra pressure on the need for municipalities to find housing.

    Aftenposten 22 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

1,173 rejected asylum children living in centres

Norway 

By March this year 1,173 rejected asylum children were living in reception centres in Norway. In total these families account for 2,087 persons including adults and children. If an asylum-seeker is rejected by the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI) and does not appeal, or appeals but is rejected by the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board (UNE), the decision is final and the person is obligated to leave the country.

    Avisen Agder 19 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Somalis find work in the forest

Sweden 

The combination of a lack of lumberjacks and the difficulty for immigrants to find work, has led to a new project in the Swedish province of Dalarna. The project is run by the National Board of Forestry, in which a group of Somalis are educated to become lumberjacks. The first participants are now to start working in the forest.

    Sveriges Radio P1 19 April 2012 (in Swedish)

SMB receives internal criticism over trap set against asylum-seeker

Sweden 

The Swedish Migration Board's (SMB) office in Karlstad is receiving substantial internal criticism for luring an asylum-seeker into the office on false pretexts, in order for the police to arrest the individual.

    Göteborgs Posten 20 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Television Värmlandsnytt 20 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Värmlands Folkblad 23 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Municipalities are to be forced to receive unaccompanied minors

Sweden 

The Swedish Migration Board (SMB) is finding it difficult to find sufficient municipalities willing to receive unaccompanied minors. Consequently, Tobias Billström, the Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, argues that it will probably be necessary to allocate unaccompanied minors to municipalities. The question is to be taken up in Parliament.  Many municipalities are critical of receiving minors, mainly due to economic arguments. Last year, a record number of 2,657 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum in Sweden.

    Sveriges Television Rapport 22 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Dagens Nyheter 22 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sydsvenska Dagbladet 22 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Television Tvärsnytt 22 April 2012 (in Swedish)

S and MP support Government line on unaccompanied minors

Sweden 

The Social Democrats (S) and Green Party (MP) are supportive of the Government's attempt to force municipalities to receive unaccompanied minors. They do, however, have conditions. The Green Party wishes to see more concrete details concerning the proposal before it will back it. The Social Democrats argue that the municipalities should receive economic compensation.

    Sveriges Radio Ekot 22 April 2012 (in Swedish)

UN Human Rights Council: Sweden is guilty of wrongfully deporting author

Sweden 

A few years ago, Sweden deported an Afghan author despite him being threatened with torture and the death penalty in his country of origin. The UN Human Rights Council has now found Sweden to have acted wrongfully. The man can consequently return to Sweden and could probably receive compensation. However, no one has heard from him in two years. There are currently several authors residing in Sweden whom the Swedish Migration Board (SMB) has decided to deport. The chairman of Swedish Pen, Ola Larsmo, says the politicians talk a lot about freedom of speech but it does not seem as though the Swedish governing bodies are taking a similar approach.

    Sveriges Radio P1 14 April 2012 (in Swedish)

The world neglects Syrian refugees

UNHCR in the news 

A month ago, a number of aid and relief organisations asked for 84 million US dollars to aid and assist Syrian refugees. This Friday, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) stated that less than 16 million US dollars had been given. More than 61,000 Syrians are now registered as refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq. UNICEF is among the organisations not being able to carry out their plans due to lack of funding.

    Møre si Nettutgåve 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Folkebladet 20 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

[Roope]

Tuesday 24 April to Wednesday 25 April 2012

Danish EU Presidency deals with pressure on external borders

Denmark 

In 2011 the number of persons attempting to illegally enter the EU increased by 35 per cent compared to 2010. A new action plan to be presented Thursday 26 April by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union will address this issue. According to FRONTEX, the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union, 104,000 persons were caught trying to cross EU-borders illegally in 2010 compared to 141,000 persons in 2011. – We will put forward a historic plan to strengthen the effort against illegal immigration to the EU, which is a major problem. The precondition for a functioning and open EU is a strong external border, says Morten Bødskov Danish Minister of Justice. Bødskov adds that the action plan is prepared in dialogue with the other EU member states, hence he expects a consensus to be reached.

    Berlingske 25 April 2012:1 (in Danish)
    Berlingske 25 April 2012:2 (in Danish)
    BT 25 April 2012 (in Danish)

Number of persons with undetermined citizenship decreases

Estonia 

The number of persons with undetermined citizenship has for the first time fallen below 100,000 persons in 2011. According to the report "Estonian Integration Monitoring 2011", people's desire to apply for Estonian citizenship has increased in 2011. The Government's goal is to have no more than 89,700 persons with undetermined citizenship by 2015. In the beginning of 2012 there were 94,397 persons with undetermined citizenship, which is 7 per cent of the total population.

    Delfi 22 April 2012 (in Russian)

Naturalization applicants need to improve language skills

Latvia 

Persons who apply for naturalization in Latvia need to improve their knowledge of the state language in order to pass the test, says Andris Berzins President of Latvia. After a visit to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP), Berzins states that many people in Latvia could obtain citizenship through few very simple steps. However, more than 40 per cent of those who conducted the naturalization test in 2011 failed the Latvian language test. Berzins also says that the growing number of asylum-seekers in Latvia is alarming and the situation needs to be assessed immediately to create the capacity required to address this successfully.

    Baltic News Service 25 April 2012 (in English)

Massive support for accepting more unaccompanied minors

Sweden 

The politicians in Ljusdal municipality have voted for accepting more unaccompanied minors. All politicians supported the proposal, except the local representative of the Swedish Democrats. The municipality has previous experience in accepting unaccompanied minors.

    Hela Hälsingland 24 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Green Party accuses Government of breaking asylum deal

Sweden 

The Green Party (MP) questions the Government's interest in fulfilling the objectives in their one year old joint asylum deal. The Green Party is concerned that the Government is not attempting to expand asylum-seekers' and undocumented individuals' right to healthcare. Moreover, the two parties disagree on the issue of family reunification. Whilst the Government argues the deal has been fulfilled after this winters ruling by the Migration Board of Appeal concerning the use of DNA to identity family members, the Green Party wishes to see new legislation on the matter. Consequently, the Green Party is threatening to withdraw its support of the asylum deal.

    Sveriges Radio Ekot 25 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Dagens Nyheter 25 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Swedish Migration Board faces millions in damages

Sweden 

The Swedish Migration Board (SMB) will potentially have to pay millions of SEK in damages to third parties after having lost several cases concerning faulty public procurement practices. Instead of following the law of having a public procurement procedure concerning the acquisition of services from contractors, the SMB has made private deals. The Swedish Competition Authority will fine the institution for its actions.

    Dagens Nyheter 24 April 2012 (in Swedish)

35,000 people fleeing from unrest in South Sudan

UNHCR in the news 

Recent fighting between Sudan and South Sudan are the most serious since the peace agreement in 2005. The unrest comes on top of an already difficult humanitarian situation, as refugee camps are overcrowded. This Tuesday, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimated that 35,000 people have been forced to flee due to the latest fighting along the borders.

    NRK 24 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

[Roope]

Thursday 26 April to Friday 27 April 2012

Significant increase expected in family reunifications

Denmark 

The Government's recent changes to the immigration law is estimated to cost DKK 210 million. The new less strict rules on family reunification will be implemented as of 1 July. The Ministry of Justice has calculated the costs and estimates that the number of family reunifications will increase by 1,000 persons per year from 2,900 in 2011. Inger Støjberg from the Liberal Party says that the numbers clearly show that there is no coherence between the rhetoric of the Government and its policy.

    Jyllands-Posten 25 April 2012 (in Danish)
    BT 26 April 2012 (in Danish)
    DR 26 April 2012 (in Danish)

Liberal Alliance wishes to increase spending on family reunification

Denmark 

The Liberal Alliance wishes to liberalise the rules concerning family reunification. The Party has also proposed to move asylum-seekers out of reception centres and into individual apartments and remove the start-up assistance. The Danish People's Party is calling the promise contradictory, as it seemingly clashes with the Liberal Party's promise to cut expenditure in the public sector.

    Jyllands Posten 27 April 2012 (in Danish)

Expert: Impossible to stop illegal immigration to the EU

Denmark 

Danish expert Hans Kornø Rasmussen, who has a PhD in international economy, states that the action plan to be put forward by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union on illegal immigration will only slow down illegal immigration. He adds that it looks like a good action plan, but he does not believe the problem of illegal immigration will ever be stopped. – The EU is surrounded by poor countries with many young people who have ties to Europe. That is why illegal immigration is similar to the one you see in the US with people from Mexico, Rasmussen states. Rasmussen also points out the southern European countries' demand for immigrant labour.

    BT 25 April 2012 (in Danish)
    Berlingske 25 April 2012 (in Danish)

Video conferences save time and money in asylum centres

Denmark 

Up until now, asylum-seekers from an accommodation centre in Tranum have spent time and state money travelling back and forth for interviews. New video conferencing facilities have cut time and costs. The head of the centre, Thorkild Poulsen, states that their residents often have to travel many hours to Copenhagen in order to meet with various authorities regarding their cases. The video conference system is expected to be implemented in 20 asylum centres before the end of 2012.

    Nordjyske 26 April 2012 (in Danish)

Minister of Justice accused of speaking with two tongues

Denmark 

Parts of the opposition accuses Minister of Justice Morten Bødskov of speaking with two tongues regarding changes in connection to rules concerning deportation of criminal immigrants. The Danish public has been told that the new rules do not have any real impact, while the EU Commission has been informed that criminal immigrants will be more difficult to deport due to the changes.

    Information 25 April 2012 (in Danish)
    BT 26 April:1 2012 (in Danish)
    BT 26 April:2 2012 (in Danish) 

Immigrant youth face higher risk of alienation

Finland 

Pekka Myrskylä, researcher from Statistics Finland, says more efforts should be made to prevent alienation of immigrant youth in society. The marginalization percentage of Finnish and Swedish youth is 3.7 per cent compared to 20 per cent among other language speakers. Myrskylä has called on the Government to give more priority to the plight of immigrant youths as part of its Youth Guarantee project.

    Yle Uutiset 25 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Yle News 25 April 2012 (in English)

Norway increases aid to Syrian refugees

Norway 

Norway increases its humanitarian support to Syrian refugees by NOK 25 million. – All the money is not yet channelled, but we work closely with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) concerning how and where the money will be spent, says Gry Larsen from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, it is clear that some of the money will go to helping Syrian refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries as well as to the many Syrians who now find themselves internally displaced. Gry Larsen also states that Norway has earmarked some of the money for school projects carried out by UNHCR.

    VG Nett 25 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Dagen 25 April 2012 (in Norwegain)

Centre Party politician demands unaccompanied minors to be age tested

Sweden 

Staffan Danielsson from the Centre Party wants to age test unaccompanied minors to ensure that there are no adults among them. Both the Centre Party's spokesperson for migration issues and the Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy are however critical of Danielsson's stance, not least because age tests already are in use.

    Dagens Nyheter 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Television Östnytt 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Television Rapport 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Administrator at SMB who hid documents is fired

Sweden 

An administrator at the Swedish Migration Board (SMB) has been caught hiding 130 citizenship and residence permit applications in her office, dating back from 2008. Several people have subsequently been denied permits due to her actions. The administrator has now been fired and the SMB is to examine how much damage has been done, with possible charges being brought against the administrator.

    Sydsvenska Dagbladet 26 April 2012:1 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio Ekot 26 April 2012:1 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio Ekot 26 April 2012:2 (in Swedish)
    Svenska Dagbladet 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Trelleborgs Allehanda 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Ystads Allehanda 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Kristianstads Bladet 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Television Sydnytt 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Borås Tidning 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    TV4 Nyheterna 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Right wing extremist party allowed advertising on Facebook

Sweden 

Svenskarnas Parti (SVP) has been allowed to publish an advertisement on Facebook which states – tired of multiculturalism and criminality? Follow SVP on Facebook – Swedens fastest growing nationalistic party.

    Sveriges Television kulturnyheterna 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Web sites publishing Migration Court verdicts reported to the police

Sweden 

The Data Inspection Board has reported three websites to the police as they have published rulings from the Migration Court that include sensitive personal data. At least one of the servers is situated in the USA which will complicate the process as the country's laws differ from Sweden's.

    Sveriges Radio P3 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Television Rapport 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Municipalities receive insufficient funds to integrate refugees

Sweden 

The refugee coordinator in Lycksele municipality, Elin Eriksson, claims that the funds municipalities receive from the state to integrate refugees are insufficient. Currently, the municipality receives SEK 82 000 per refugee per year. However, the Swedish classes alone cost SEK 104 000 per person per year. The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions is now surveying the costs associated with receiving refugees.

    Sveriges Radio P4 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Newly arrived refugees stuck in transit

Sweden 

Around 3,000 newly arrived refugees are currently living in temporary accommodation provided by the Swedish Migration Board (SMB), a number which has increased by 400 since the beginning of the year. Since 2010, the Swedish Public Employment Service has been responsible for providing jobs and housing to newly arrived refugees. However, investigations show that it takes a long time for refugees to get access to the services they are promised, hence the large numbers that are currently stuck in transit.

    Sveriges Radio, Radio Sweden 26 April 2012 (in English)
    Sveriges Radio P1 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Sweden's new migration deal has "unsolved problems"

Sweden 

Although a constructive dialogue exists between the Green Party (MP) and the Government according to Tobias Billström, the Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, "unsolved problems" still exist. However, he believes they will be solved before 2014. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has stated that the large costs related to providing healthcare to undocumented individuals are proving to be an obstacle.

    Sveriges Radio Ekot 25 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio Ekot 26 April 2012 (in Swedish)

[Roope]

Saturday 28 to Monday 30 April 2012

Lønseth: It must be possible to establish identity

Norway 

In cases where identification of an asylum-seeker is problematic, it is crucial that the asylum-seeker participates in clarifying the situation, says Pål K. Lønseth, State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. – In cases where immigration authorities believe that persons do not make an effort to establish their identity, there must be consequences, Lønseth states. He adds that if a person has contributed fully to the clarification of his/her identity a less strict approach will be taken. Andreas Furuseth from the Norwegian Organization for Asylum Seekers (NOAS) says that the organisation would like to see changes in cases where it is very difficult to establish an identity. He adds that one change could be to accept an undocumented identity for a limited period if nothing indicates that the identity is wrong.

    Dagbladet 28 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Faults found at reception centres for unaccompanied minors

Sweden 

Reception centres for unaccompanied minors hold a lower quality than other homes, according to a new study. This is serious according to the National Board of Health and Welfare, as unaccompanied minors are particularly vulnerable.

    Sveriges Television Rapport 27 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Aftonbladet 27 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Dagens Nyheter 27 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Svenska Dagbladet 27 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Scientists: Apathetic refugee children are not simulating

Sweden 

Apathetic refugee children have been found to have heightened levels of stress-related hormones in their blood, according to a joint research study conducted by Uppsala University and the Karolinska Institute. Similar heightened levels can be found in war veterans suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome. A link was also found between the severity of the symptoms, and levels of hormones. When the children recover, their blood levels return to normal. The study was relatively small but according to the scientists, the results are clear enough to repudiate any assertions that children are simulating.

    Sveriges Television Rapport 29 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio Ekot 29 April 2012:1 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio Ekot 29 April 2012:2 (in Swedish)
    Sveriges Radio, Radio Sweden 29 April 2012 (in English)
    Sveriges Television ABC 29 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Dagens Nyheter 29 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Piteå Tidningen 30 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    Uppsala Nya Tidning 29 April 2012 (in Swedish)
    The Local 29 April 2012 (in English)

N.B. This story was also covered in Finland.

    Aamulehti 29 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Ilta-Sanomat 29 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Itä-Savo 29 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Mtv3 Uutiset 29 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Satakunnan kansa 29 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Turun Sanomat 29 April 2012 (in Finnish)
    Österbottens tidning 29 April 2012 (in Swedish)

Victims of torture crossing Sinai-Israeli border

UNHCR in the news 

In Sinai, thousands of refugees are held captive and threatened. If they do not pay ransom they risk getting tortured and at worst being killed. – Every month, about 1,000 refugees and asylum-seekers cross the border from northern Sinai into Israel. Many of these people report to UNHCR in Israel that they have been captured by human smugglers. The smugglers first claim they want to help them, but then they take them as prisoners. Afterwards they expose them to enormous pressure in order to extort money from them, states Hanne Mathisen, spokesperson from the UN Refugee Agency's Regional Office in Stockholm.

    Søndagsrevyen 29 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    NRK 29 April 2012 (in Norwegian)

Israel denies refugee status

UNHCR in the news 

In south Tel Aviv tens of thousands of African migrants and refugees live. They have come to Israel through dangerous smuggling routes. They receive help from volunteers, but the Ministry of the Interior wants to deport all of them. The authorities want to stop the refugee influx from Africa. Every month about 2,000 asylum-seekers arrive in Israel. 85 per cent of all asylum-seekers are from Eritrea or Sudan. There asylum claims are not assessed individually. 175 people have been granted refugee status in Israel during the last nine years based on recommendations from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). In 2011 the authorities claim 8 persons were recommended to receive refugee status, however UNHCR is informed about only 3 cases. In 2009, Israel took over the refugee status determination from UNHCR.

    Svenska Dagbladet 28 April 2012 (in Swedish)

UNHCR: 65,000 have fled from Syria the past year

UNHCR in the news 

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has registered 49,193 refugees from Syria and an additional 15,877 people are still waiting to be registered. It is estimated that around 200,000 Syrians have been displaced within the country due to the unrest. According to UNHCR 23,942 Syrians have fled to Turkey, 22,000 to Lebanon, 15,999 to Jordan and 3,129 to Iraq. About 9,000 people have been killed since the fighting begun in March 2011.

    VG Nett 28 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Stavanger Aftenblad 28 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Aftenposten 28 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    P5 28 April 2012 (in Norwegian)
    Nettavisen 28 April 2012 (in Norwegian)