Introducing a community sponsorship program for refugees in Norway? A feasibility study – UNHCR

Community sponsorship is a way of welcoming and fostering the integration of newly arrived refugees through scaling up the involvement of local citizens and civil society organizations. Such programmes have received much attention internationally in recent years. The EU has invested politically and financially in establishing such programmes and a number of European countries have developed, piloted and introduced them. Should Norway follow suit? The purpose of the study is to inform Norwegian policy makers and civil society actors about the potential for introducing community sponsorship in Norway, as a complement to existing reception and integration structures, based on desk research and key stakeholder interviews with national and international actors. A road map sketches out some possible steps forward and reflects on the desirability of introducing such programmes in Norway, adjusted to national conditions.