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IMMIGRATION

Norway’s UDI uncovers use of fake diplomas in hundreds of work permit applications

Several hundred fake education certificates and diplomas were used in fraudulent Norwegian work permit applications, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) has revealed.

Pictured is a diploma certifcate.
The UDI has uncovered several residence applications which were submitted with fraudulent documents. Pictured is a diploma certifcate. Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

For the majority who hail from outside the EEA, the main way to be able to live and work in Norway legally is by holding a residence permit.

The most common of these for workers without a Norwegian partner is the work permit. These are awarded to individuals who have been offered a job by an employer which requires specific qualifications to be carried out, such as a university degree or vocational education diploma.

Norway’s immigration authority, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UD), last year uncovered hundreds of work permit applications that were submitted with fraudulent documentation, the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reports.

These came in the form of counterfeit education certificates used to demonstrate the applicant is qualified for the job offered.

The immigration authority first detected the use of fake paperwork when it received an abnormally large number of applications from Turkish nationals claiming to be trained chefs. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the applicants had issued bogus certificates and weren’t formally trained as cooks.

Following this discovery, the UDI performed a random check of 20 applications, 11 of which turned out to be fraudulent. This prompted increased scrutiny of similar application types.

Aftenposten also reports that the UDI discovered applications from Indian nationals with fake certificates saying they were trained as mechanics. The UDI also uncovered applications from Kosovo and Iran filed with forged documentation.

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CRIME

Driver in Norway jailed after 25 speeding tickets in 19 days

A Frenchman who had been in Norway for just over a month has been handed a 21-day prison sentence for amassing 25 speeding tickets in 19 days.

Driver in Norway jailed after 25 speeding tickets in 19 days

The 23-year-old, who travelled to Norway in search of a job according to local media, was caught speeding 25 times between February 6 and 25.

READ MORE: What you need to do if you have a car accident in Norway

The worst infraction was on February 20, when he was caught at the wheel of a Kia driving 113 kilometres per hour (70 mph) in a zone with a speed limit of 70 km/h, according to a court ruling seen by AFP on Monday.

The man “represents a danger in traffic”, the Oslo district court said.

According to daily Aftenposten, most of his infractions were registered by fixed speed cameras, whose existence he was not aware of. The man had his sentence reduced by three days, from 24 to 21, due to his full confession.

But he will have to manage for a while without his driver’s licence, which the court suspended for a year.

EXPLAINED: The ways you can lose your driving licence in Norway

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