Ukrainians Travelling Home May Lose Their Residence Permit in Norway

Ukrainians Travelling Home May Lose Their Residence Permit in Norway

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Ukrainian nationals who travel to their home country risk losing their residence permit in Norway.
  • Despite this decision, Ukrainian citizens may still obtain permission to visit their homeland in exceptional circumstances.
  • Since February 2022, over 40,000 Ukrainians have sought refuge in Norway.

Ukrainians who were granted protection in Norway may lose their residence permit if they choose to travel back to their homeland, Norwegian authorities have announced.

In accordance with a general directive from the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI), foreign nationals who are granted protection in Norway may face the risk of losing their residency permit if they return to the country from which they sought refuge.

Previously, there was an exception for Ukrainian nationals with temporary collective protection from this directive. However, this exception has been revoked now.

The Minister of Justice and Public Security of Norway, Emilie Enger Mehl, highlighted that if Ukrainians under such protection are able to travel to Ukraine and return to Norway, it may suggest that they no longer need protection in Norway.

If Ukrainians with temporary collective protection travel back and forth between Norway and Ukraine, this may indicate that they no longer need protection in Norway. I now wish to treat Ukrainians and other nationalities equally regarding the consequences of such travels.

Emilie Enger Mehl, Minister of Justice and Emergency Preparedness

However, Norwegian authorities have underscored that trips made before the implementation of this directive will not result in permit revocation.

Also, they do not exclude the possibility that, in special cases, Ukrainian citizens may still obtain permission to visit their homeland.

Since the onset of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, the total number of Ukrainian refugees seeking refuge in Norway exceeded 40,000, as per information revealed by the Norwegian government in July of this year.

Earlier this year, Norway announced its plans to extend the temporary collective protection scheme for displaced persons from Ukraine.

Considering the labour shortage in Norway, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre emphasised earlier this year that collaboration with parties in the workforce is essential to integrating more Ukrainian refugees into employment.

Apart from Norway, it seems that the entire labour market in the EU has benefited from Ukrainian refugees in the EU countries.

EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicholas Schmit, stated last month that Ukrainian arrivals have had a positive impact on the EU labour market. He highlighted that over 60 per cent of registered Ukrainian job seekers in 11 Central and Eastern European (CEE) EU member states found employment.

Meanwhile, the latest EU statistics indicate that a total of 1.87 million Ukrainians in 19 European countries have signed employment contracts.

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