Until further notice, the police will not carry out forced returns. Individual applicants' duty to return after receiving a final rejection has also been temporarily suspended.
Because of recent events and the deterioration in the security situation in Iraq, the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) has decided to suspend the duty of applicants with a final rejection to return to the Iraqi provinces of Anbar, Babel, Bagdad, Diyala, Kerbala, Kirkuk, Ninewa and Salah al-Din.
The suspension of the duty to return means that, until further notice, applicants who have received a final decision to return to the above-mentioned provinces are not required to comply with the duty to leave the country that follows from the decision.
UNE has also informed the National Police Immigration Service (NPIS) that no one in the above-mentioned groups is to be forcibly returned.
The suspension does not apply to persons covered by the Dublin Regulation or the first asylum country rule. These applicants will still be returned to the country in which their asylum applications are to be considered pursuant to international agreements and arrangements.
The decision applies both to former asylum seekers and to persons who have a duty to return following the rejection of an application for residence pursuant to other parts of the regulatory framework.
UNE does not have a full overview of the total number of Iraqi nationals from the provinces in question who are living in Norway without legal residence. UNE does have a list, however, of just under 100 cases that will be covered by the suspension.
For further information about Iraq:
Overview of countries and areas in which the duty to return has been suspended etc.