Norway adopts a new directive to process Syrian asylum applications, opening the door to “internal transfer”

The Norwegian newspaper "Youtrope" reported that the Norwegian Immigration Service "UDI" adopted on September 25 a new directive bearing the number "UDI 2026-006" to process Syrian asylum applications, folding the directive approved since 2021.

According to the new directive, the Norwegian authorities can consider the transfer of an asylum seeker to another area inside Syria, including Damascus, as a possible option in some cases if they deem that the area is safe and available to him and not within the reach of the party threatening him.

This procedure is known as "internal relocation", and it allows the application for protection to be rejected if the Norwegian authorities are convinced that the person, despite his inability to return to his original place of residence, can reside safely in another area within his country.

UDI emphasized the individual nature of evaluating asylum applications, as neither the Syrian nationality nor the person’s place of residence is sufficient to determine the outcome of the application.

This approach differs from the position of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which seems to be more flexible in that it considers the situation in Syria to be sufficient for caution before rejecting requests for international protection based on the possibility of the person moving to another area within the country.

This is a difference noted by the Norwegian Immigration Service in its new guidance with UNHCR regarding the possibility of adopting internal relocation as an option in some cases.

The directive takes into account the privacy of a number of groups that may be more vulnerable to risks on which to base its assessment, including women without a protection network, the most vulnerable children, religious minorities, Kurds, Druze, and Alawites, in addition to people who criticized the transitional authorities.

The guidance also takes into account LGBT persons and those at risk of forced marriage in its assessment, as in these cases the authorities consider the extent to which there is a well-founded fear of persecution.

As for Palestinian refugees from Syria, their requests are subject to a separate evaluation, especially in cases where they were covered by aid or protection from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), as the authorities must examine the reasons that led to the cessation of this aid before making a decision.