Norwegian government tightens residency rules for newly arrived Ukrainian men

Norway is set to tighten its residence rules for newly arrived Ukrainian men eligible for military service.

Astri Aas-Hansen, Norway's Justice Minister, said immigration to Norway must be controlled, sustainable and fair.

"Since autumn 2025 Norway, like many other European countries, has seen an increase in the number of young Ukrainian men arriving in the country. Norway has already taken in the largest number of Ukrainians in the Nordic region. To avoid an excessive influx, stricter control is needed," Aas-Hansen said.

In the near future, the government will send out for public consultation a proposal under which Ukrainian men aged 18-60, with certain exceptions, will no longer be granted temporary collective protection in Norway. They will be able to apply for asylum under the general rules.

"Norway must not take in more people than it can integrate. Resettling refugees is a voluntary task for municipalities. In recent years Norwegian communities have done enormous work and resettled almost 100,000 displaced people from Ukraine. Many municipalities report overstretched local services and a lack of housing," Kjersti Stenseng, Norway's Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion, said.

The stricter rules will apply only to new applicants and will not affect those who already have temporary collective protection status in Norway.

The restrictions will also not apply to men who are documented as exempt from military service or are clearly unfit to serve, as well as those evacuated under a medical evacuation programme. The rules also include exemptions for men who are the sole carers of children who arrived with them or are already in Norway.

The Norwegian government plans to adopt the changes by Easter, with the measures then coming into force shortly afterwards.

In late August 2025, the Ukrainian government updated the procedure for crossing the state border, allowing men aged 18 to 22 to cross the border without restriction for the first time since the start of the full-scale war.

After Ukraine eased its rules on travelling abroad for men aged 18 to 22, the number of young Ukrainians arriving in Germany to seek protection has increased tenfold.

In Poland, a marked increase in the number of young Ukrainians with temporary protection was recorded in autumn.