From 25 September 2026, UNE will lift the temporary suspension of the obligation to return to Iran. This means that individuals who have received a final decision requiring them to return to Iran will once again be obliged to leave the country.
Individuals who have requested a reconsideration of their case and have been granted a deferred enforcement of their decision may remain in Norway until their case has been reconsidered.
UNE will also resume processing of cases that require an assessment of return to Iran. Processing of these cases has been put on hold due to the uncertain situation in the country.
"Although the situation in Iran remains uncertain, UNE now has a clearer picture of the security situation then when the case prosessing was put on hold earlier this year", says Marianne Jakobsen, Director of UNE.
UNE has around 170 cases concerning Iran that have been put on hold. Approximately half of these are protection cases.
"We will now gradually resume processing these cases, in line with UNE's normal priorities and available capacity. It is important that we begin processing them som that we can reach decisions wherever possibe, rather than leaving them on hold. When considering these cases, we will assess the situation in Iran as it stands at the time the decision is made", says Jakobsen.
Background
UNE initially suspended the obligation to return to Iran for three months at the start of the year. This was due to the volatile and uncertain situation in the country following widespread protests around the turn of the year, the authorities' response to those protests and the subsequent armed conflict between the United States and Iran.
In April, the suspension was extended for a further five months. Processing of cases rquiring an assessment of return to Iran was also put on during this period.
Why the suspension is being lifte now
The situation in Iran is no longer as acute and uncertain as it was when UNE suspended the obligation to return to Iran in January this year. There have been reports of a significant decrease in both hostilities and the number of people killed. The reports also indicate that the general population is now less exposed to risks due to the security situation. UNE therefore considers that the security situation no longer provides grounds for maintaining the general suspension of returns.
The suspension of the obligation to the return to Iran has now been in place for almost eight months. Individuals who are required to leave Norway for Iran have therefore had time to request a reversal of their case or apply for a residence permit on other grounds.
"We are now returning to the normal procedure of assessing whether enforcement of a decision should be defferred on a case-by-case basis, rahter than maintaining a general suspension of returns", says Jakobsen.
The police have been informed
The Norwegian Police Immigration Service (PU) has been informed of UNE's decision to lift the suspension of the obligation to return to Iran.