Ministry of Justice and Public Security proposes amendments to using personal data in immigration IT system development and testing

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security launched a public consultation proposing amendments to the Immigration Regulation to provide a clear legal basis for the immigration administration to use personal data when developing and testing IT systems, including AI-based systems.

The proposal forms part of a broader modernisation project and supports the government's objective of making Norway the world's most digitalised country by 2030.

Key points include:

• Legal clarity for IT development and testing: Immigration authorities would be explicitly authorised to use personal data already collected in immigration procedures for the development and testing of IT systems.
• Scope limited to development and testing: The proposed legal basis concerns only the use of data for building and testing systems. It does not regulate how the systems will be used once operational.
• Improving efficiency and decision-making: The aim is to help the immigration administration process a high volume of cases more efficiently while maintaining accurate and legally sound decisions.
• Privacy safeguards: Given that immigration authorities process sensitive personal data, the proposal includes provisions intended to ensure data protection and privacy are built into development and testing processes from the outset.
• Additional amendments: The consultation also proposes minor technical changes resulting from the incorporation of the Eurodac Regulation 2024 into Norwegian law.

The consultation is open to all stakeholders and members of the public, with submissions due by 20 November 2026.