The National Arrival Center in Råde in Østfold is the first place of stay for asylum seekers arriving in Norway. Here they are cleared through a health check, registration and other important records, before being sent on to more permanent asylum reception centres.
Since its inception in 2015, the center has undergone a number of adaptations. It started as a temporary solution, but is now seen as a permanent preparedness measure for Norway by current UDI director Snorre Sæther.
– It is very important that we have such a facility, especially from a preparedness perspective, he says to Dagsavisen.
Considered crucial for the country’s asylum work
The National Arrivals Center was established as an emergency reception in connection with the increased incidence of asylum arrivals during the so-called refugee crisis in 2015. That year, over 30,000 asylum seekers came to Norway, but then the number dropped to between 1,500 and 3,000 in the following years until 2021.
Then there was Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which gave Norway a new wave of refugees. In 2022, over 40,000 asylum seekers arrived, of which around 35,000 were displaced persons from Ukraine.
These fluctuations in the number of asylum seekers have led to the preparedness at the center being adjusted up and down a number of times.
In a report that the social analysis company Proba prepared for UDI and the Norwegian Police Directorate earlier this year, it is concluded that the National Arrival Center has played a central role in ensuring that Norway has managed to receive so many asylum seekers and process their cases in the right way.
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It is an important goal for the immigration authorities to have preparedness and flexible capacity, so that they can handle major fluctuations in the influx of asylum seekers and refugees. The National Arrivals Center is considered crucial in that work.
– I think we will always live in a situation with an uncertain need for preparedness. Then we need a place like this, says Sæther.
In 2021, the National Arrivals Center was rebuilt into a more permanent centre. Today’s lease lasts until 2034, but in the agreement there are as many as seven options for five-year extensions, according to UDI. So, in theory, the lease can last until 2069. In addition, UDI has an option to buy up the building stock.
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Important workplace
The center has a stated maximum capacity of 850 asylum seekers, but they have opportunities to expand when the pressure becomes unusually high. It was done, among other things, in connection with the large increase in refugees from Ukraine that Norway received in 2022.
In March at the latest opened a new arrivals tentwhich is the first place the asylum seekers come to. Here they have to go through a security check, much like at an airport, before they are left waiting for the next step. It can take anything from a couple of hours to a whole night. Therefore, there are 64 beds in the tent.
People from 18 different nations work in this waiting area, many of them former refugees themselves.
The arrivals center in Råde is one of the region’s largest workplaces. According to UDI, 805 people have access to the centre, including volunteers. Somewhere between 200 to 300 employees are present during the day.
Cooperation and coordination are often cited as keywords for the process of accepting refugees and other asylum seekers, especially when it comes to streamlining and waiting times. According to the UDI, there are 14 different employers at the National Arrival Centre, including the police, Østfold Hospital, the municipality and the Red Cross. 10 of the employers have a contract with UDI.
Among them is Link, which runs the reception section of the arrivals centre. The operating operator was sued in 2021 because many employees from the former operator, Hero, lost their jobs when Link took over. When the verdict was handed down the following year, it was established that a business takeover had taken place. This meant that 18 former employees were awarded a total of over three million kroner, wrote among other things Trade journal.
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