Information to refugees from Somalia who have applied for a renewal of their residence permit
The UDI will now assess whether changes in the situation in Mogadishu mean that Somalians who got a refugee status before 1 October 2014 still have a need for protection, or if it is safe for them to move back to Mogadishu. This has been decided by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
If you would like more information about who can be given protection (asylum) and who can lose their residence permit, you can read our information letter:
- Norwegian asylum politics and the work regarding residence permits (Somali) (pdf, 410 kB)
- Norwegian asylum politics and the work regarding residence permits (Norwegian) (pdf, 255 kB)
- Norwegian asylum politics and the work regarding residence permits (English) (pdf, 334 kB).
Who will have their refugee status re-assessed?
Your refugee status will be re-assessed if you arrived in Norway as an asylum seeker, and received a refugee status before 1 October 2014, and have not yet received a permanent residence permit.
If this applies to you, you will most likely have a green refugee travel document.
Your refugee status will also be re-assessed if you have received a (derived) refugee status because your spouse, cohabitant or parent has been given refugee status in Norway, and he or she was given this before 1 October 2014. However, if this person already has a permanent residence permit, settlement permit or Norwegian citizenship, we will not re-assess your refugee status.
What will happen to your residence permit?
The Asylum department in the UDI will assess whether the changes in Mogadishu means that you no longer need protection.
We will either decide
- that you will keep your refugee status and have your Norwegian residence permit renewed, or
- that you lose your refugee status and your residence permit and must go home
You must apply for a temporary residence permit while you wait for an answer
Many people from Somalia have been given a temporary residence permit, a new residence card and a new travel document even though we have not yet decided if they will be able to keep their refugee status and stay in Norway.
If you have been given such a temporary residence permit, and it has expired or expires soon, you must apply for a renewal, so that you have a valid residence permit. You must also apply to renew your travel document. Please see our information about waiting times for applications for renewal of a residence permit for protection.
What will happen with your family members' applications?
If you have a spouse, cohabitant or child who has applied for a renewal of their residence permit, they will normally be given a renewal of their residence permit if you are given one. If they have applied for a new immigrant's passport or a travel document, we will also process that application.
If you have not been given a renewed residence permit, your family members will not be given one either.
If you have a spouse, cohabitant or child who has applied for a first time family immigration permit and they are abroad, they will not get an answer to their application until you have received an answer to whether you will be able to keep your refugee status.
What happens to children who are born in Norway?
If you have a child who is born in Norway and do not have a residence permit yet, you must apply for a residence permit for the child.
How long must you wait?
If you have not received an answer yet, you must keep waiting for an answer from the UDI.
Unfortunately, we do not know yet how long it will take to finish processing your case. Many of those who have a case such as yours have been waiting a long time for an answer. Even if you have waited a long time, this does not mean that we have forgotten your application.
The reason why many people have been waiting for a long time is that the UDI has prioritised processing other types of applications, for example applications for protection (asylum). We have only processed a few application from those who might lose their refugee status. We have now started to process these applications, but it will still take a long time before everyone receives an answer. We regret that you must wait such a long time for an answer to your application.
If you have been told by the UDI that you will be able to keep your refugee status, you will also soon get an answer to your application for renewal of your residence permit.
You should not book any tickets for travelling abroad before receiving an answer to your application or receiving a temporary residence permit, and having been granted a new residence card and a refugee travel document. If you have not received an answer to your application nor a temporary residence permit, you cannot be granted a new residence card nor a refugee travel document.
We will contact you if we need any documentation or other information from you. You will be notified when we have processed your application.
If you applied for renewal of your residence permit no later than one month before your previous residence permit expired, you have the same rights as before relating to work, studies etc. while you are waiting for us to decide your application. You will retain these rights until you have received an answer to your application, even if your residence permit expires in the meantime.
If you receive a letter where it says that the UDI is considering whether you will lose your refugee status, you have the right to a lawyer. You must contact a lawyer yourself.
Who will not have their refugee status re-assessed?
- You who received your first residence permit after 1 October 2014.
- You who already have a permanent residence permit, settlement permit or Norwegian citizenship.
- You who have received a derived refugee status because your spouse, cohabitant or parent had refugee status, if this person already has a permanent residence permit, settlement permit or Norwegian citizenship.
- You who came to Norway as a resettlement refugee (quota refugee).
- You who have a residence permit in Norway on humanitarian grounds (strong humanitarian considerations or because you have a special connection with Norway). If this applies to you, you have a blue immigrant’s passport.
- You who have arrived in Norway by family immigration with a family member who has a permanent residence permit, settlement permit or Norwegian citizenship, or who was given refugee status after 1 October 2014.
If you are in such a situation, your application for renewal of your residence permit will be processed as normal. You can find information about how long you must wait on our page with information about case processing times.