Norway Tightens Policies for Ukrainian Refugees

The Norwegian government has expanded its list of safe areas in Ukraine, reducing the number of regions whose residents qualify for refugee status and state assistance.

The newly updated list now designates all regions of Ukraine as safe except for the southern and eastern areas and Kyiv. Previously, only western regions were considered safe.

This policy adjustment, announced on the government’s official platform, applies to Ukrainian nationals who submitted asylum applications starting from yesterday.

In late September, Norway had already ceased granting automatic refugee status to residents of western Ukraine.

Over the past two years, the country has progressively tightened its asylum policies, aiming to curb the number of new arrivals and encourage Ukrainians to integrate into the workforce instead.

Hungary has also taken a stricter stance, expelling Ukrainian refugees who are not fleeing active conflict zones from state shelters.