Influx of foreign nationals requires thoughtful legislation

The upcoming integration law must ensure that immigration does not spiral out of control, according to integration minister Bjarni Kárason Petersen.

“The number of migrant workers and immigrants arriving in the Faroes is currently so high that we are struggling to manage everything properly. That is why we feel a need to introduce some restrictions,” he says.

“These people are of course welcome to our country, but we need to make sure the high numbers do not overwhelm our system.”

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Petersen’s statement is a continuation of what Prime Minister Aksel V. Johannesen said in his ólavsøku speech about ensuring that the large influx of foreign nationals does not become overwhelming and that we must ensure a balance between the rights and duties of those who come to the Faroes from abroad.

The restrictions the integration minister is referring to mainly consist of a proposed amendment to the directive on minimum income for foreign workers who want to bring family members to the Faroes.

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The reason for these changes, according to the minister, is that the number of foreign nationals arriving in the Faroes either through family reunification or as accompanying family members of a foreign worker has more than doubled since the fast-track employment programme was introduced in late 2021.

In 2021, 48 foreign nationals arrived in the Faroes through family reunification or as accompanying family members of foreign workers. This number reached 118 in 2022.

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“It is important to find a healthy balance between the rights and duties of foreign nationals who come to our country because a big and sudden increase of foreign nationals puts pressure on our social services, schools, health system, etc.,” says Petersen.

“To strike this balance, the integration bill will cater to those who become permanent residents, and we are looking at ways to adjust the fast-track employment programme for migrant workers to ensure that these people and their accompanying families also have proper living conditions.”

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

More Faroese News in English.