Norway will not grant asylum to refugees from several regions of Ukraine.

Norway is halting automatic asylum grants for all Ukrainian refugees arriving from the western part of Ukraine. This was reported by Norway's Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl.

"In the future, asylum seekers from Ukraine will be treated equally to other refugees. The collective protection scheme will now focus on those who truly need protection," she emphasized.

From now on, applicants from the Lviv, Volyn, Ternopil, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Transcarpathian regions will be considered separately. This is related to the fact that these regions are considered safe and are far from the front line.

"Norway cannot accept an disproportionately large number of displaced persons compared to other countries," Enger Mehl stated.

The Minister explained this decision by stating that refugees create a burden on housing, healthcare, and schools in some cities in Norway. Additionally, a significant portion of the displaced persons are men of conscription age.

It is worth noting that since the beginning of the large-scale resettlement, Norway has accepted 85 thousand Ukrainian refugees.

Previously, individual assessments of applications from Ukrainians seeking asylum began in Norway. In case of refusal, hundreds of Ukrainian citizens, who are not covered by collective protection, may be subjected to expulsion from the country.

Furthermore, a study by Oslo Met found that every third Ukrainian refugee in Norway has already decided not to return to Ukraine.

The Ministry of Justice of Norway has issued instructions to the Immigration Directorate (UDI), changing the conditions for Ukrainians seeking asylum in Norway.