An advisor for the immigration information service Alþjóðahús was named chairman of Landneminn, a political group devoted to immigration issues.
Barbara J. Kristvinsson, originally from the United States, has worked at Alþjóðahús for many years, giving council and legal advice to foreigners both newly arrived and long-settled in Iceland. Currently, she is on leave while studying social working at the University of Iceland.
As a long-time advocate of immigrant’s rights, she attracted the interest of Landneminn (literally, the settler), an immigrant’s issues group connected to the Social Democratic party. At a meeting announcing the decision, Minister of Social Affairs Árni Páll Árnason and Immigration Council director Íris Björg Kristjánsdóttir were given a resolution from Landneminn, encouraging the government to give more attention to immigration issues.