The Swedish Migration Agency has decided to pause deportations to Lebanon. The pause is due to an unpredictable and rapidly changing security situation in Lebanon, according to reports. The agency currently considers it impossible to make a reliable forward-looking assessment of the security situation in Lebanon. This deportation pause applies regardless of whether a person has applied for asylum or residence permits on other grounds. The Swedish Migration Agency can still make approval decisions in asylum cases. The recommendations are valid until further notice but at the latest until June 8, 2026. According to Jesper Tengroth, press chief at the Swedish Migration Agency, the deportation pause in Sweden involves a few hundred open cases.
In a parallel move, the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) has temporarily suspended the obligation to leave for persons from Lebanon who have received a final rejection of residence in Norway. This suspension is effective from March 18, 2026. The police in Norway will also not forcibly return anyone to Lebanon at this time. The background for the suspension in Norway is the war between Hezbollah and Israel and the unpredictable security situation in Lebanon, according to reports. The Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board currently has five cases pending that involve a return assessment to Lebanon, which they will now postpone processing. The suspension and postponement in Norway are decided for three months.
The situation in Lebanon has been significantly destabilized by the war between Israel and Hezbollah, as reported by major media. This regional conflict has contributed to the security concerns prompting the migration agency decisions in Sweden and Norway. The exact security incidents or intelligence in Lebanon that triggered these actions remain unclear. It is not specified how many individuals are directly affected beyond the few hundred cases in Sweden and five in Norway. Criteria for determining when it is safe to resume deportations to Lebanon have not been detailed. It is unknown whether other countries are taking similar measures regarding deportations to Lebanon.