Voluntary Assisted Return Programme – VARP

IOM offers assistance for asylum seekers who want to return to their country of origin or immigrants who find themselves without a valid permit to stay in Norway. The VARP is open to migrants in an irregular situation and to asylum seekers of any nationality, whose asylum claim is under one of the following criteria:

• Waiting for a decision from UDI
• Refused by the UDI
• Appealing against the asylum decision
• Given a deadline to leave the country

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Norwegian Cultural Orientation Programme

IOM plays an important role worldwide in the resettlement of refugees providing health assessment, document handling, cultural orientation and transport.

Some refugees are resettled in their countries of destination without being given accurate information about their new country or sufficient preparation to easily adapt to life there. The result is often an extended period of adjustment, during which the newcomer may suffer personal difficulties; in addition, they may also have unrealistic expectations about their new community due to the lack of information.  Hence this programme, Resettlement of Refugess into Norway provides an opportunity for refugees who are about to be resettled to participate in cultural orientation class.  This not only makes the actual travel to the new country less stressful for the refugees, but it also eases the initial adjustment period. The result of lowering the possibility of culture shock for the refugees also has a positive side effect on the recipient society.

Increasingly many countries receiving refugees see the benefits of pre-departure cultural orientation. In addition to the Norwegian Cultural Orientation Programme, IOM is implementing cultural orientation for migrants and refugees bound for Australia, Canada, Finland, UK and USA.

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