Norway has significantly tightened the conditions for receiving Ukrainian refugees

Norway is tightening the reception conditions for Ukrainian refugees, affecting housing arrangements, financial support for families with children, and the possibility of trips back to Ukraine.

This information reported by NRK.

Specifically, there are plans to cancel retroactive social assistance payments for a child during the first 12 months of residence in the country, which are paid after the extension of temporary residency status at the end of the first year (while families may continue receiving new monthly payments).

Controls on trips back to Ukraine will be intensified for individuals in Norway receiving social benefits and holding residency permits to ensure that those receiving benefits actually reside in Norway for most of the time. Trips back home will need to be justified, and any trips conflicting with residency permit conditions could lead to its revocation.

New arrivals in need of housing will have to exclusively approach the National Reception Centre in the municipality of Råde. The option of accommodation in hotels and holiday resorts will no longer be available.

Additionally, there are plans to introduce a waiting period before individuals can access the full package of social support.

The primary reason for these rule revisions is the significant interest in Norway from Ukrainians who have left Europe due to the war, seeking better conditions compared to neighboring countries.

As of August, payments for Ukrainians in Norway were 2-4 times higher than those available in Sweden and approximately twice as much as in Denmark.

Over the last two months, there has been a 50% increase in Ukrainians arriving in Norway to apply for temporary protection compared to the total numbers for Denmark, Sweden, and Finland combined.