The Norwegian Appeals Board (UNE) published an updated practice note describing how it assesses cases involving persecution on grounds of religion and which factors may affect the outcome.
Each year, the UNE handles a large number of appeals and requests for reconsideration by asylum seekers who claim they face persecution because of their religion or religious activities.
As part of the update, the UNE reviewed 94 decisions from 2023–2025 and incorporated more recent Supreme Court judgments. Most cases concern people who claim they risk persecution because they have converted to another religion or abandoned their original religion. Most conversion cases involve applicants from Afghanistan or Iran who state that they have converted from Islam to Christianity.
In cases concerning Afghanistan, conversion from Islam to Christianity may in itself create a risk of persecution. A key question is therefore whether the conversion is genuine. In cases concerning Iran, the risk depends more on how the person would actually practice their faith upon a return.
- Immigration Appeals Board | Utlendingsnemnda (2 October, 2026), Oppdatert praksisnotat om forfølgelse på grunn av religion [Updated practice note on persecution because of religion],