Newly arrived immigrants to Norway can be obliged to have up to two years of training. They will receive an annual allowance of NOK 108,340 while learning the Norwegian language and the way local society works. Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Erna Solberg unveiled Friday what she called a "considerable reform" of Norwegian integration policy. All immigrants with a need for basic qualifications for entering Norwegian employment and society will have the right and duty to take part in a program lasting up to two years.

The main target group will be newly arrived refugees and individuals granted asylum on humanitarian grounds, plus their families.

The stipend is taxed and deductions are made for illegitimate absences. Those who have jobs or are receiving education are not immediately eligible or bound to take part in the program.

Some local authorities have experimented with similar projects and the ministry rates them as extremely successful. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development said that employment was "the most important arena for newly arrived immigrants", allowing them to take part in society, and establish a sense of worth and belonging.

The government has proposed a start date of Sep. 1, 2003 to parliament, with the program being voluntary until Aug. 31, 2004 to enable local governments to fully prepare their implementation.

-- Anonymous, December 13, 2002