Excerpt:
The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) says it has heightened focus on the problem of marriages arranged mainly for the purpose of gaining the rights to live and work in Norway.
Applications to bring new spouses into Norway from foreign lands as part of a "family reunification" have been under greater scrutiny since a 2006 directive issued by the Labour Ministry.
The nationalities include applicants from Turkey, Morrocco, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam, among others.
Precises statistics are not available for 2006, while just 57 applicants were rejected in 2005.