Unnskyld. Please forgive my English.
I am writing today as a United States citizen who has been granted a residence permit in Norway as a skilled worker. My wife, our two young children and I received our letters from UDI in March 2021 granting us permission to live, work, and study in Norway. In those letters, the first of three contradictions presented itself: we are not allowed to cross the border to take up the new lives we intend to establish in Norway. The current Ministry of Justice and Public Security claims entry restrictions “must be proportionate and no stricter than required at any time.” [1] However, restrictions for skilled workers have been unyielding against varying infection rates and vaccination progress both in Norway and abroad. I doubt that restrictions are in fact proportionate to their effectiveness in reducing infection rates within Norway. [2] It seems that the only thing these restrictions are proportionate to are the Ministry's politics. The result is the distorted situation that European tourists are allowed to enter at will, but skilled workers must wait indefinitely. This contractionary state of affairs amounts to paper push-backs. In considering the Interim Act, the Storting must hold the Ministry accountable to how many people have been denied entry, for how long, and to what effect for the public health of Norway.
The second contradiction is that the current Government has many times reiterated its focus on the best interest of children. [3] On September 1, my daughter was at school while a gunman fatally shot a student at another school 5 km northwest. He evaded police and posted to social media his intent to attack a third school 2 km southwest of my daughter's school. [4] In this terrifying moment, my daughter sat directly in the path of a murderer intent on hurting more children. In this terrifying moment, my heart sank with the thought that she ought to have been thousands of kilometers away from this violence. The Storting must act to end paper push-backs that deny the entry of children and families that the Government has already granted visas or residence permits.
Finally, I would like to draw to light a contradiction in the Government’s intent to move to a normal everyday life with increased preparedness. [3] As long as Norwegian companies are unable to hire skilled workers and have them begin work, everyday life will not yet be back to normal. Vacations, parental leave, and sick days stretch thin already understaffed teams. It is difficult to plan. Growth is stalled. The work of building innovative and creative companies in new industries is hampered. The Storting must end paper push-backs and ensure that skilled workers cannot in principle be denied entry. Only then can companies’ plans be put into place so they can grow.
To conclude, the Storting should end the practice of paper push-backs enabled by the Interim Act as it currently stands. Instead of continuing restrictions, ensure there is sufficient capacity for testing, isolation, contact tracing and quarantine (TISK). To truly counter the risk of importing infections, Norway should, as one of the richest and most vaccinated countries in the world, take a lead role in improving vaccine access and equity around the world.
Takk for at du leser.
[1] https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/consultation-on-extending-the-interim-act-relating-to-entry-restrictions/id2870994/
[2] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30263-2/fulltext
[3] https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/norway-to-remain-at-step-3/id2869987/
[4] https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/01/us/winston-salem-school-shooting/index.html
I am writing today as a United States citizen who has been granted a residence permit in Norway as a skilled worker. My wife, our two young children and I received our letters from UDI in March 2021 granting us permission to live, work, and study in Norway. In those letters, the first of three contradictions presented itself: we are not allowed to cross the border to take up the new lives we intend to establish in Norway. The current Ministry of Justice and Public Security claims entry restrictions “must be proportionate and no stricter than required at any time.” [1] However, restrictions for skilled workers have been unyielding against varying infection rates and vaccination progress both in Norway and abroad. I doubt that restrictions are in fact proportionate to their effectiveness in reducing infection rates within Norway. [2] It seems that the only thing these restrictions are proportionate to are the Ministry's politics. The result is the distorted situation that European tourists are allowed to enter at will, but skilled workers must wait indefinitely. This contractionary state of affairs amounts to paper push-backs. In considering the Interim Act, the Storting must hold the Ministry accountable to how many people have been denied entry, for how long, and to what effect for the public health of Norway.
The second contradiction is that the current Government has many times reiterated its focus on the best interest of children. [3] On September 1, my daughter was at school while a gunman fatally shot a student at another school 5 km northwest. He evaded police and posted to social media his intent to attack a third school 2 km southwest of my daughter's school. [4] In this terrifying moment, my daughter sat directly in the path of a murderer intent on hurting more children. In this terrifying moment, my heart sank with the thought that she ought to have been thousands of kilometers away from this violence. The Storting must act to end paper push-backs that deny the entry of children and families that the Government has already granted visas or residence permits.
Finally, I would like to draw to light a contradiction in the Government’s intent to move to a normal everyday life with increased preparedness. [3] As long as Norwegian companies are unable to hire skilled workers and have them begin work, everyday life will not yet be back to normal. Vacations, parental leave, and sick days stretch thin already understaffed teams. It is difficult to plan. Growth is stalled. The work of building innovative and creative companies in new industries is hampered. The Storting must end paper push-backs and ensure that skilled workers cannot in principle be denied entry. Only then can companies’ plans be put into place so they can grow.
To conclude, the Storting should end the practice of paper push-backs enabled by the Interim Act as it currently stands. Instead of continuing restrictions, ensure there is sufficient capacity for testing, isolation, contact tracing and quarantine (TISK). To truly counter the risk of importing infections, Norway should, as one of the richest and most vaccinated countries in the world, take a lead role in improving vaccine access and equity around the world.
Takk for at du leser.
[1] https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/consultation-on-extending-the-interim-act-relating-to-entry-restrictions/id2870994/
[2] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30263-2/fulltext
[3] https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/norway-to-remain-at-step-3/id2869987/
[4] https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/01/us/winston-salem-school-shooting/index.html