Oslo, Sep 28 (IANS) Norway will grant collective protection to fewer Ukrainians arriving from six areas deemed safe by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, the government said.

If no individual need for protection exists, applications from new asylum seekers from these areas will be rejected, it said.

For the past two and a half years, most Ukrainians fleeing to Norway have been given temporary protection without individual assessment, but now applications from safe regions of Ukraine will be evaluated under regular asylum regulations, Xinhua news agency reported.

“In the future, asylum seekers from Ukraine will therefore be treated on a more equal footing to other asylum seekers. The collective protection scheme will now be directed more precisely at those in need of protection,” said Emilie Enger Mehl, minister of justice and public security.

Norway, which has taken in 85,000 Ukrainians in the past two and a half years, the most in Nordic countries, has seen a reduction in arrivals following earlier cuts to benefits and accommodation. However, recent months have witnessed an uptick in new arrivals.

“Norwegian municipalities are starting to reach capacity. Housing is in short supply and there is pressure on welfare services. We must maintain control over immigration to Norway,” said Tonje Brenna, minister of labour and social inclusion.