Quick and accurate settlement of refugees

Refugees who have been granted residence in Norway shall live in a municipality. To find a suitable municipality for the individual refugee, and to achieve quick and dispersed settlement, IMDi goes through two different processes.

The first process takes places yearly in the autumn where IMDi requests a given number of municipalities to settle refugees in the coming year. The number requested is based on prognoses as to how many refugees will need settlement the following year and is distributed among the municipalities according to a set of criteria determined by the Ministry of Labor and Inclusion. The county authorities give recommendations to IMDi on which municipalities should be asked to settle refugees, and how many.

The Norwegian settlement policy aims to settle refugees in all parts of the country, in both large and small municipalities, to ensure dispersed settlement. Settlement of refugees is a voluntary municipal task, and the municipalities decide whether they have the capacity to settle refugees.

The second process deals with IMDi's everyday strategic work towards finding a suitable municipality for refugees. IMDi decides which municipality the individual refugee is offered settlement in and base the decision on general information gathered about the individual. Attention is also given to information on labour and educational opportunities within the given municipality, as well as its capacity to settle and provide necessary services to the individual refugee. Consequently, newly arrived refugees are settled in areas with relevant public services and training programmes with opportunities to participate in education, the labour market and society.

When a refugee has been settled in a municipality, the municipality is responsible for ensuring good integration and provide access to municipal services (e.g. healthcare and education). The municipalities receive grants from IMDi to meet the costs of settlement and provide for the integration of refugees.

 

If you seek additional information on settlement as a new refugee in Norway, vistit Settlement | Ny i Norge