Norway deports record number of immigrants in 2015

Norway deported a record of 7,825 immigrants in 2015, representing an increase of 8 percent compared to the year before, the country's Police Immigration Service said on Monday.

"I am very pleased that we have achieved the government's target figures in a year with a very challenging arrival situation," said Kristin Kvigne, head of the Police Immigration Service, which is responsible for forced return of persons who do not have legal residence in Norway.

The Norwegian government's goal was to have carried out 7,800 deportations of immigrants in the year of 2015.

The figures include asylum seekers whose applications have received a final rejection, expulsions due to either sanctions or lacking valid grounds to be in Norway and those who have not sought protection.

A total of 1,559 people were deported after their applications for asylum had been rejected, while 1,144 asylum seekers were sent to another country in Europe to have their applications processed in line with the Dublin Regulation.

The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI), the country's immigration agency, said last week that a total of 31,145 asylum seekers came to Norway in 2015 and it was planning to prepare for up to 60,000 asylum seekers this year.

Norway deports record number of immigrants in 2015 --