Welfare of PH migrants in Norway pushed

PHILIPPINE Ambassador to Norway Enrico Fos met with the International Organization for Migrants (IOM) Chief of Mission Fumiko Nagano on Wednesday to discuss possible areas of collaboration that will advance the welfare of Filipino migrants in the country.

Fos said that among the issues discussed was the Philippine Embassy’s position on the proposed abolition of the au pair system in Norway.

An au pair is basically a live-in nanny. The idea behind the program is for international people to improve their Norwegian language skills and learn about Norwegian society by living with a Norwegian family.

The recipients of about 70 percent of au pair permits issued in Norway are Filipinos.

Fos said that improving the working conditions of Filipino seasonal workers deployed in huge Norwegian farms was also tackled.

Filipinos in Norway are expatriates and migrants from the Philippines and their locally-born descendants. As of 2019, there are approximately 25,000 Filipinos in Norway.

Nearly 75 percent of Filipinos in Norway are sea-based, working in the maritime industry. The other 25 percent are land-based, working in various fields among them health care, information technology, energy, property services, business, nongovernmental organizations and government support.

Nagano presented the IOM’s Voluntary Assisted Return Program that provides assistance to migrants without the legal right to stay in Norway and planning to return voluntarily to their home countries in an organized, safe and dignified manner.