Immigration agency gets new boss

The new head of the state agency that can decide the fate of foreigners in Norway is a 14-year veteran who started out as information chief at UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet). Now Frode Forfang is stressing the need for better information service from UDI again. Given some recent confusion over the implementation of new cards to verify [...]

Hells Angels ask court for protection

Around 20 foreign members of the motorcycle club and alleged organized crime group Hells Angels (HA) have begun legal proceedings to ensure that Norwegian authorities do not arrest them when they travel to an event in Stavanger, south-west Norway, during the coming weeks. The members from Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg – including HA Denmark leader [...]

Ethiopians in new cathedral protest

Around 20 Ethiopian asylum seekers protesting against the Norwegian immigration authority’s decision to send them home have returned to Oslo Cathedral for a new protest, following their occupation of the church and hunger strikes in February. The protestors set up a large white tent directly beside the entrance to the cathedral early in the morning [...]

Thousands stuck in UDI backlog

Nearly 40,000 people have had their lives put on hold, some for as long as three years, while they wait for legal permission to work or live in Norway. A huge backlog at immigration agency UDI is affecting everyone from asylum seekers to foreign researchers at Norwegian universities, and there’s little hope their paperwork will [...]