Norway to tighten asylum policy

Norway on Tuesday made proposals for 40 changes in its laws and regulations to tighten its policy on asylum and immigration in response to growing influx of asylum seekers into the Scandinavian country.

"There may be between 10,000 and 100,000 asylum seekers to Norway next year... it can have violent consequences for our welfare society," Minister of Immigration and Integration Sylvi Listhaug told reporters when she presented the government's proposals.

The main proposals include tightening rules on family reunification so that a person must have four years of work or education in Norway before family reunification can take place.

Asylum seekers who are not entitled merits of their application for asylum in Norway can be expelled from the border. In addition, asylum seekers arriving by transit visas across the border from Russia will not be able to get asylum.

Norway also wants to introduce new requirements to obtain permanent residency in the country, including Norwegian language and social studies as well as requirements for self-sufficiency for three years.

It is also proposed that the basis for permanent residence will lapse if the need for protection lapses within a period of five years. Unaccompanied asylum seekers will be given temporary protection until they are 18 years old.

The Norwegian government proposes to issue payment cards to refugees instead of giving them cash, in order to prevent refugees from sending money to family members back home.

The consultation period for the proposals is set to six weeks until Feb. 9, 2016. Then the government will present proposals to parliament, aiming to put the changes in place before the number of asylum seekers may pick up in the spring. Endit