Why asylum in iceland

The Government Agency for Child Protection is obligated to take care of unaccompanied minors and ensure their welfare. Each child is provided with a representative from the Agency and the child can rely on the representative with everything pertaining to the case. The children who live with a foster family are guided by and taken care of by the foster family. The Red Cross offers special activities for unaccompanied children and they are advertised especially. Unaccompanied minors either live at a reception centre operated by the Directorate of Immigration or with foster families.

The different child protection committees that handle each case are responsible for each child's housing. The unaccompanied minors who live at a reception centre stay in a special hallway which is in the same building as families live. Therefore, they do not live directly with adults but adults live in the same centre.

Children who live with foster families live with adults who have been assigned to take care of them. The authorities use age assessment to try to verify that young people who do not have identification documents and claim to be under the age of 18 are in fact minors. In Iceland, x-rays are taken of teeth and they analysed to determine how old the person is. The Red Cross is a non-profit society and the authorities never pay more for the service than the cost of the service and never above the limit stipulated in the terms of the agreement between the Red Cross and authorities.

The Red Cross furthermore provides clothing donations as it also does for the general public in Iceland. The Red Cross volunteers also provide a lot of work that is not paid for especially by the authorities. At any given time, about volunteers participate in projects pertaining to asylum seekers. Before the Red Cross took over the legal aid service for asylum seekers dozens, of independent lawyers offered legal aid.

The aim of the Red Cross was to build up specialised knowledge in the field and to ensure that all asylum seekers would receive the same good quality legal aid service. To that end, the Red Cross has emphasised foreign collaboration, training staff and team work where each case is dealt with by an experienced lawyer.

Before the Red Cross agreed to take on the legal aid service, it was emphasised that the application process would be greatly shortened, of better quality and the basis was that the system as a whole would function in an effective and fair manner.

No, it does not as the nature of the Red Cross is to expand and contract its operations based on the need in the society at any given time. The basis of everything that the Red Cross does is the work of volunteers as it is a volunteer movement. So far, the Red Cross has been successful in recruiting volunteers in all of its projects.

Projects are chosen carefully and strategy mapped out based on a needs analysis for the country as a whole but also for the operational areas of each branch. The work that the Red Cross carries out with asylum seekers and refugees has a long history and so far the Red Cross has been successful in carrying out those projects along with its other projects. There is a misunderstanding that legal representatives who work at the Red Cross cannot carry out their duties due to the fundamental principle of the Red Cross and Red Crescent regarding neutrality, and that it especially applies to refugee issues as defending their interests often implies taking a stand regarding unrest in the native countries of refugees and various issues among warring groups on religion, origin and ideology.

The fundamental principle on neutrality does not mean that the Red Cross is totally neutral, except on the battlefield to nurse the sick and wounded. The Red Cross takes a stand on many issues and the fundamental principles are prioritised so that humanity is above all of the other principles.

The existing contract between the Ministry of the Interior and the Icelandic Red Cross states that the Icelandic Red Cross independently defends the interests of all applicants of asylum in Iceland, which includes legal aid service. A legal representative is required to take care of the interests of their clients and that is based on the situation of the asylum seeker and the reasons for the application in Iceland.

The legal representatives always plead the case of their clients, whether their testimony pertains to persecution by the hand of their own government or the lack of will or power to protect the asylum seeker against persecution, armed conflict, random violence or other kind of situation. How do people apply for asylum in Iceland?

How long is the asylum application process in Iceland? How do I know who my legal representative is? Can I make an appointment with my legal representative?

When and where are open interview hours? Do I have a right to an interpreter? Which language is used in interviews at the Directorate of Immigration and the Red Cross? When will I be called for an interview? Who notifies about interviews and publications of decisions at the Directorate of Immigration and by which means?

What happens if I do not show up for an interview or publications of decisions at the Directorate of Immigration? Can I work while my application is being processed? If I work in Iceland, will it help my application? Do illnesses affect asylum applications? Do I get asylum if I give birth to a baby in Iceland? If I get arrested, does it affect my application? Is my case over when the Directorate of Immigration makes a decision? Can I do something else? Do I have a right to stay in Iceland if I appeal a negative decision regarding asylum?

I have been denied a residence permit on the grounds of the Dublin Regulation and have to go back to the country I first entered in Europe. What happens when I will be sent back to that country?

How do I withdraw my application? Questions regarding main necessities Which service does the Red Cross provide for asylum seekers? Can I get clothing from the Red Cross? Does the Red Cross provide financial aid for asylum seekers? Privacy Settings. We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings.

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The Ministry of Social Affairs, through the Icelandic Refugee Council, is responsible for the selection, admission and integration of refugees in Iceland. The selection process is implemented through selection missions to the countries of asylum by an Icelandic delegation. Refugees are eligible for resettlement in Iceland if they are recognised by UNHCR under its mandate and fall into one of the following categories:.

However, depending on the type of procedure Dublin, Status, Priority, Merit your case its been examined with, you will be offered different options to leave Iceland. Some of these options include i travelling at your own expense to a country in which you have the legal right to stay, ii requesting voluntary return through the IOM International Organization for Migration , whom will then cover travel expenses for you, or iii being escorted out of the country by the Icelandic Police.

Share this post. General information about the asylum application process in Iceland Who can apply for asylum in Iceland? How can I apply for asylum in Iceland? What is the procedure for processing an asylum application in Iceland? The waiting period for this interview varies depending on which type of application you have Priority , Merit , Dublin , Status Decision and Appeal. What type of asylum procedures exist in Iceland?

In Iceland, asylum applications are processed according to these 4 categories: a Dublin procedure. Further information click here. When an application is considered without cause, i. How can I know if I have a Dublin case? I am an asylum seeker, but I want to leave Iceland. What can I do? How can I withdraw my asylum application?

If my asylum application is not successful, what would happen next? Share this page close. Press the copy button below to copy the URL to your clipboad.