Norway is paying asylum seekers to return home as the refugee crisis continues.

Tens of thousands of kroner are being offered to each person who voluntarily leaves the country. They also have their flights paid for.

Katinka Hartmann, head of the immigration department's return unit (UDI), said that many of the people arriving from Syria, Iraq, the Middle East and Africa expect to receive protection quickly and cannot wait the months or even years the process can take.

"They thought they would have the opportunity to work or take an education – and maybe even to get their family to Norway," she told NRK television.

"Many cannot wait (for the asylum process to run its course). They have family at home who expect them to be able to help.

"For a long time, Norway has not been able to forcibly return people to Somalia, but now that we can, I think that more Somalis with an obligation to leave will opt for assisted return. 

"It's important to have more initiatives of this kind in the future."