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The duty to return to Lebanon, after receiving a final rejection, has been suspended until further notice. The police will not carry out forcible returns to Lebanon now.
UNE decided to suspend the duty to return to Lebanon on 31 October 2024.
– There is great uncertainty as to how the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and the security and humanitarian situation in Lebanon, will develop in the near future. That is why we are now suspending the duty to return, says Marianne Jakobsen, Director General of the Norwegian Immigration Service (UNE).
– We will monitor the situation in Lebanon and will decide within six months whether the suspension of the duty to return should be extended or lifted, says Jakobsen.
Who is covered by the suspension?
The suspension of the duty to return means that everyone who has previously received a final decision to return to Lebanon, for the time being, are not required to comply with the decision to leave the country.
The decision applies to both former asylum seekers and to persons who have a duty to return following the rejection of an application for residency pursuant to other parts of the regulations.
Cases put on hold
UNE has also decided to put cases that may result in a duty to return to Lebanon, on hold. This means that UNE will not be processing these cases for the time being.
UNE currently has around ten such cases for consideration.
Cases where the outcome of the assessment clearly will grant a permit regardless of the security situation, will not be put on hold.
Dublin cases not covered
The suspension does not apply to persons covered by the Dublin-III Regulation, or the first asylum country rule. These applicants still have a duty to return to the first European country in which they launched their asylum application, where their application for protection will be considered.
The Police has been notified
The National Police Immigration Service (PU) has been notified that no persons who are covered by the suspension are to be deported from Norway. This means that the police will not carry out forcible returns to Lebanon now.