Government introduces new procedural rules for collective protection and exemptions from asylum interview requirements

From 1 July 2026, the government will introduce new procedural rules concerning collective protection and expand the circumstances in which the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) may waive the requirement for an asylum interview. The stated objective is to improve the efficiency of asylum case processing. The changes include:

• Collective protection: Decisions refusing an extension of a residence permit granted under the collective protection scheme will no longer be subject to appeal. The right to appeal decisions rejecting asylum applications under the ordinary asylum procedure remains unchanged.
• Asylum interviews: The UDI will be able to decide not to conduct an asylum interview in cases where its practice and country information indicate a very high likelihood that the application will be refused. This is conditional on the applicant having had the opportunity to explain the basis of their application and the reasons they fear returning to their country of origin.

According to the government, this measure is expected to apply primarily to ordinary asylum applications from Ukrainian nationals that are not covered by the collective protection scheme, as these applications are currently rejected in almost all cases.