On 14 January 2022, Iceland announced it would accept 35-70 additional Afghan refugees, mainly women and children as the country continues to suffer humanitarian and civil unrest following the Taliban takeover.
This is in addition to the 78 refugees who were approved for protection by the Icelandic government and Refugee Council last fall.
Adding vulnerable women and their families from Afghanistan to the list of refugees is a welcome move that aligns with Claudia’s letter sent on 6 September 2021 to the Ministry of Justice and Icelandic Refugee Council.
In her letter, Claudia suggested that, in addition to providing humanitarian protection to select groups of Afghan nationals, the government also provides humanitarian protection to vulnerable groups including women and girls. Furthermore, she suggested that protection should be extended to other family members of Afghan nationals living in Iceland who do not fall under the legal definition of “family members.” In turn, this would allow siblings, parents, and other family members with ties to Iceland to be protected.
Claudia & Partners offers free legal assistance to Afghans residing in Iceland to assess the eligibility of their family members to relocate to Iceland under the government‘s expanded protection scheme for vulnerable Afghan women and their children.