Hundreds of Asian au pair applications unprocessed in Norway due to entry restrictions

More than 300 applications from Asian au pairs are pending with the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) due to entry restrictions. At the same time, the Ministry of Justice is working to phase out the entire scheme.

VG writes that the Norwegian government announced in the government platform ‘Hurdalsplattformen’ earlier this year that they will phase out the au pair scheme. Together with SV, they have the parliamentary majority on their side.

According to figures from the UDI, as of 22 November, 343 au pair applications have not yet been decided. A total of 272 of the applicants are from the Philippines, 25 are from Thailand, and 6 are from Vietnam, writes Aftenposten.

The Ministry states that they only process applications from au pairs who are already in Norway for various reasons, or who are exempt from the entry restrictions.

The remaining applications will not be processed until the entry restrictions are lifted. This means that the au pairs and the host families must for the time being wait for the borders to reopen so that the applications can be processed.

“We are now looking at how we can properly do this, and we are keen to take into account the au pairs who are already here. We will come back with proposals for how the liquidation can be done and we will also consider transitional arrangements,” says State Secretary Astrid Bergmål (Labor) at the Ministry of Justice.

About Gregers Møller

Editor-in-Chief • ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. • Bangkok, Thailand

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