UDI has awarded six contracts for new asylum reception centers in Northern Norway. In Nordland, contracts have been awarded for two centers in Narvik, one in Fauske, and one in Lødingen. Each center has capacity for 150 residents.
Asylum centers are also being established in Senja and Tjeldsund. Six of the contracts are in Northern Norway, according to reports. In Narvik, companies Hero and Corvita Care have received contracts to each take in 150 asylum seekers, according to reports.
The plan is to establish two centers in the small village of Håkvik, with about 700 inhabitants, according to reports. Narvik mayor Rune Edvardsen says the municipality can handle 150 asylum seekers, not 300, according to reports. Municipalities have expressed concerns over financial strain and lack of preparedness.
Lødingen had a center established in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine, but it was closed last year, according to reports. Lødingen mayor Hugo Jacobsen says the municipality has no staff currently working on asylum center operations and must start from scratch, according to reports. Fauske also closed a center last year and faces financial difficulties, according to reports.
Fauske mayor Marlen Rendall Berg says they have little information about who is coming and what services to provide, according to reports. Lødingen is on the Robek list and has a tight budget, according to reports. Mayor Jacobsen says the municipality informed UDI early about its financial situation, according to reports.
Mayor Jacobsen says experience shows that an asylum center is not fully financed, according to reports. Syrian asylum seekers at several centers have protested against long processing times at UDI, according to reports. Some asylum seekers have been in Norway for over three years without being called for an asylum interview, according to reports.
The asylum interview should be conducted 'as soon as possible' according to the Immigration Regulations § 17-2. The Public Administration Act § 11 a states that cases must be prepared and decided 'without undue delay'. NOAS secretary general Mads Henrik Almaas says three years of waiting for an asylum interview is indefensible, according to reports.
UDI expects a sharp increase in the number of asylum seekers in the first part of 2026, according to reports. However, details on timelines and funding remain unclear.