r/Norway Nov 03 '24

Mod So You Want To Move To Norway: A Rough Guide to the Immigration Process (updated 2024)

399 Upvotes

Important warning: Reddit is not an appropriate place to get accurate immigration information.

However, this is a common topic on this subreddit and the old stickied post is several years old now. This post is here to help direct people to the proper information. Please read the entire guide and use the links provided to see out answers to your specific questions. Any questions you may have that cannot be answered from this guide or the links provided cannot be answered by redditors on this sub and should therefore be directed to an appropriate immigration expert.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional; I neither work for UDI, nor am I an immigration lawyer. I have spent a lot of time studying and researching the rules and regulations. What follows is a rough guide only meant to serve as a starting point; use the info here to conduct your own research. With that said:

So You Want To Move To Norway...

Despite what movies might portray, moving abroad is not just a matter of packing bags and showing up. Immigration is usually a long, often expensive process, and there are many criteria that you must meet to be legally resident in Norway. There are three general categories of permits that will allow you to remain in Norway beyond a regular tourist/visitor visa:

Temporary Residence Permit:

This is your first step. These permits are contingent on you (worker or student) or your reference person (family immigration) meeting certain requirements; are usually temporary; and will need to be renewed (usually biannually, but some are more/less frequent). You must have this permit if you wish to remain in Norway beyond your visitor visa (ie: >90 days).

Permanent Residence Permit:

This can be applied for only if you have been legally living in Norway for three years (or more in some instances) with a residence permit that forms the basis of permanent residency; you must meet the requirements for your current residence permit (ie: still employed, still are married to a person with residency rights, etc...); you meet the language requirements; pass a citizenship test; have an income over a certain threshold; and you have not been convicted of a criminal offence. This allows you to stay in Norway permanently (no need to reapply; but you will need to renew your card every 2 years for third-country nationals and 10 years for EEA/EU citizens).

Note: income requirement is based on the person applying, not the family member/sponsor. If you are married and here under family immigration rules, it is you, the applicant, who must demonstrate that you can support yourself in Norway by meeting the minimum income requirements.

Citizenship:

This is an optional step. You do not need to apply for citizenship; however, if you want to, you can qualify for Norwegian citizenship after a period of time (usually >7 years). This has many requirements, but the biggest is the language requirement.

Note: While Norway now allows dual citizenship, your country of origin may not allow dual citizenship.

Note: Norway does not allow citizenship based on heritage. One or both of your parents need to have citizenship (and not have given it up previously) in order for you to qualify for citizenship based on birth. There are a lot of complicated rules surrounding citizenship by birth. Use this to determine if you qualify for citizenship. NB: Norway does not offer citizenship by investment (ie: having a lot of money to invest in exchange for residency or citizenship).

Note: When you apply for citizenship, you must still meet the requirements for permanent residency (income requirement being the biggest).

The remainder of this post will focus on the temporary residence permits, since by the time you are ready for PR or citizenship you will be an immigration pro. How you qualify for immigration to Norway and how easy the process will be depends on a few factors

  • Your citizenship (EEA/EU vs Third-Country National)
  • Your education, qualifications, experience,
  • If you have a job offer,
  • Your relationship with a Norwegian national

Immigration as an EU/EEA citizen:

If you are an EU/EEA citizen (or Swiss) you have the right to reside in Norway for 3 months without any other obligations. After 3 months you will need to demonstrate that you are meeting your treaty rights. Those treaty obligations are:

  • Be employed (or registered as self-employed),
  • Be a student,
  • Be self-sufficient, or
  • Be a job seeker actively seeking work with a decent chance at finding work (source).

NB: The last three require you to have sufficient funds to support yourself and your family and have comprehensive medical insurance for the duration of your stay. See FAQ below for more info.

The right of residence for longer than three months also extends to the EEA/EU citizen’s immediate family (spouse/partner, children, other dependents), regardless of their nationality, so long as the EU/EEA citizen is meeting their treaty obligations and neither the citizen nor the family member is a threat to public policy, security, or health. All of this is explained in Article 7 of the Directive on Free Movement.

It is important to note that people immigrating under this route do not qualify for the benefits found in the Introduction Law, which include, among other things, the right to free language lessons.

Immigrating as a Third-Country National (not from EU/EEA).

Your options for moving are not as simple or easy as above. I am using an applicant from the US as the default here. You should consult UDI (Norwegian Immigration Board) or the Norwegian Embassy in your country for the most up-to-date information for your specific nationality.

Generally speaking you need a reason to be in Norway. These reasons are:

  1. Family member of a Norwegian national
  2. Family member of an EEA/EU national
  3. A worker
  4. A student
  5. Protection (Asylum seeker). I will not spend time on this; it has its own complicated rules and I highly doubt anyone seeking asylum will be spending their time on reddit. If you are, I really recommend seeking out an immigration lawyer to help you with your application.

Family immigration with a Norwegian National

These are most often spouses/cohabitants, but may also include children or parents under some circumstances.

The process for application is relatively straightforward with a little bit of reading on UDI's website and some document gathering.

  1. You must pay the application fee,
  2. Document your identity (passport),
  3. Have a valid marriage licence/certificate, or documentation that you have lived together legally for 2 or more years
  4. Have plans to live together in Norway,
  5. Not be in a marriage of convenience,
  6. You must both be over the age of 24,
  7. Your spouse/partner must make above a minimum income threshold per year pre-tax (this number frequently changes. Check UDI’s site). They will need to demonstrate they made a sufficient amount the year before you apply and demonstrate that they are likely to have the same amount the following year. They will need to provide contract of employment, pay slips, and a tax assessment notice. Additionally, they must not have received financial assistance from NAV in the last 12 months.

Note on income sources: under this route of family immigration, it is the onus of the sponsor to demonstrate that they make a sufficient income to support the family. This means that, regardless of the financial situation, the sponsor must make the minimum income; the third-country national's income/savings are not taken into consideration.

There are other circumstances that may require additional documentation (ie: evidence of military service). Check UDI for all the documents you'll need.

Family members who are granted residence based on this route will qualify for free language classes as part of the introduction act (link above).

NB: the rules may change if you have lived with the Norwegian citizen legally in another EEA/EU country. If this is the case, you may be allowed to choose between family immigration under Norwegian national law or residence card as a family member of an EU citizen (see above). Also see the differences between the two immigration schemes here.

If you are engaged to a Norwegian you can apply for a fiancé permit which will allow you to come into Norway for the purposes of getting married in Norway. You must be married within 6 months. After you are married you will have to apply for family immigration with your spouse (process described above). You can read about getting married in Norway here.

Only some people can apply from Norway. Others will have to apply from their home country via the embassy or consulate. Make sure you check with UDI to learn more.

Workers

There are many types of working permits. UDI’s webpage will outline all the possibilities available to you but the most common are skilled worker and seasonal worker.

Skilled workers are those who:

  • Completed a vocational training programme of at least three years at upper secondary school level. NB: there must be a corresponding training programme in Norway.
  • Completed a degree from a university or college (BA, BSc, BE, etc...)
  • Special qualifications that you have obtained through long work experience, if relevant in combination with courses etc. A permit is only granted in such cases in exceptional circumstances. Your qualifications must be equivalent to those of someone who has completed vocational training.

Additionally, you must have received a concrete job offer from an employer in Norway, the job must normally be full-time (UDI will, at the time of writing, accept 80%), the job must have the same pay/conditions that is normal in Norway, and the job you are offered must require the qualifications as a skilled worker (and you must be qualified for the job).

If you do not fall into this category, you may qualify as a seasonal worker; however this route is considerably more difficult, usually temporary (<6 months), and your employer must prove that they cannot fill the position with a worker from Norway or the EEA/EU. You will need to be employed 100%, you will need a concrete job offer before you apply, and the job must be deemed season or holiday stand-in.

Those citizens who qualify as a skilled worker and who are coming from a country with a visa-free agreement with Norway you may be allowed to come to Norway as a skilled job seeker.

NB: You cannot work while you are searching for a job. This means that once you have a concrete job offer, you will need to apply for a residence permit as a worker and you cannot start working until your application has been approved.

Some international companies may post workers in Norway. You will still need a resident permit for workers; however, many companies will help with this process.

Studying in Norway

As of 2023, Norway no longer offers free tuition for international students (outside of the EEA/EU). This means that students from non-EU/EEA countries will need to pay tuition.

In order to qualify for a study permit, you need:

First and foremost, you need to be accepted to a recognized education institution, for example: university. The program of study must be full time (generally 60 stp / year). Few undergraduate programs offer education in English; therefore, the majority of programs will require Norwegian language proficiency (B2 level) before you can study.

You need to pay tuition either full or per semester. If you pay only the first semester, you need to demonstrate that you can pay the second installment. Your funding can come from a variety of sources including loans, own funds, or grants. In addition, you will need to demonstrate to UDI that you have sufficient funds to support yourself for the duration of your study. These need to be in a Norwegian bank account or in an account arranged by the education institution (you will have to talk to the school about this).

Your funding cannot be fully supporting by working while studying as there is a limit to the number of hours you are allowed to work. As an international student, you are only allowed to work 20 hours / week while studying.

Finally, the situation in your home country needs to be such that UDI believes you will return home when your studies are finished.

A study permit does not form the basis of Permanent residency. After you are finished your studies, you will have a small grace period to look for a job, however, if you do not receive a contract of employment, you will be expected to return home / leave the country.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question Answer
1. Do I really need to learn the language to live in Norway? This is a frequently asked question on the subreddit (see this post for example). Some people can survive in Norway with only English, however, if you do not speak fluent English or if you wish to stay long term, you should learn the language. Your job opportunities, socialization opportunities, and immigration opportunities are limited if you do not learn the language. It is a significant part of integration into the country, and most people will expect a passable level of Norwegian skills after a few years of living here. If you want to get permanent residency, you need A2 level Norwegian (with a few exceptions); if you want citizenship, you need B1 (with a few exceptions).
2. How do I learn the language? r/norsk is a good start. Additionally, almost every municipality has an adult education centre where they offer Norwegian courses. If you are in the immigrant group who have both the obligation and right to Norwegian language learning, then these classes are often free for a set number of hours/years. If you only have the obligation, then these classes will not be free and you will have to pay. In addition to adult education centres, there are private institutions online or in person that you can take. Additionally there is a wide range of tools online and offline that can help you learn.
3. Does Norway need XYZ workers? This is a frequent question on this subreddit. Try the search function. Otherwise, do a search of finn.no or nav.no and see if there are a lot of positions for the job you are searching for
4. What's the job market like in ZZZ town/city? Check finn or nav to see what is available in the area you are interested in. Then considering looking at the unemployment rates.
5. How do I get my education approved? The directorate for higher education for most education. Helse Norge for health care workers. You do not need to wait until you are in Norway in most instances to have your education approved. It is a good idea to have all education from high school to university approved as you never know if you need to document that you have completed high school. It is important to note that not all education from outside of Norway will be approved on a 1:1 basis and you may find you are missing credits or even your whole degree might not be approved.
6. I have lots of work experience from my home country, but not formal education, can I qualify as a skill worker? Generally, no. There are exceptions for highly skilled workers in professions that are in demand. Additionally, these positions must not be able to be filled with Norwegian workers, European workers, or others living in the country.
7. What documents from home should I bring While it may not be required for most applications, from experience, it is a good idea to get a certified copy of some important documents from back home. Getting certified (and potentially notarized) copies of diplomas/transcripts, your birth certificate, divorce proceedings, etc... will potentially save you a lot of time, money, and annoyance as trying to get these things while you are abroad is much, much harder.
8. Can I get a digital nomad visa? No such thing exists in Norway at the time of writing. In order to work in Norway, regardless of where your place of employment is located, you need to have the right to work in Norway. This means a residence permit that allows for work, permanent residence, citizenship, or are a member of the EU/EEA and have worked out the tax obligations of working in one country while residing in another.
9. I work from home / am self-employed, can I visit Norway on a tourist visa and work there? No. A tourist visa does not grant you the right to work in Norway. Lying to the immigration board or the border patrol upon entry could result in a ban from the Schengen area for up to 5 years.
10. I think Norway is a beautiful place and I love the culture. I am nearing retirement age, so how can I retire in Norway? Depends. Are you an EEA/EU citizen? If so, meet your treaty obligations (see the above post under "self-sufficient") and move to Norway. Are you a third-country national? You cannot retire in Norway unless you have a legal right to already live in Norway. There is no option to be a self-sufficient third-country national in Norway.
11. I am an EU/EEA citizen who wants to live in Norway as a self-sufficient person. What kind of health insurance do I need to qualify for "comprehensive sickness insurance"? Honestly, no one knows. "Comprehensive sickness insurance" is up to each individual nation to decide what is "comprehensive." There is no private health insurance that is as comprehensive as a national insurance system. If a nation decides that "comprehensive" = the same coverage as national health system, then that leaves loopholes for immigration departments to deny applications. It is a matter of record that Norway has been warned by EFTA many times with regards to recognizing citizens' treaty rights (esp for non-economically active citizens). That said there is a European precedent - C-413/99 Baumbast. In this case, the EU courts found that, as long as the citizen is not a burden on the state, it would be disproportionate to refuse to recognize a citizen's right to reside in another member state. But there is no checkbox on immigration applications saying "I will not / am not a burden on the state's welfare system." Many people have been rejected on the basis of lacking comprehensive sickness insurance. Until someone challenges these rejections all the way up to the European court system, there is no need to clarify what "comprehensive" means. Note: sufficient funds in this scenario can come from any source including a third-country national's savings/income/other documented source (you may need to prove the sponsor has access to this money).
12. What city should I move to? First and foremost make sure you have the right to move to Norway. After that, your options are usually limited based on the immigration route you are following - most often connected to where your family, school, or job is located. If you are free to move wherever you'd like, then find a spot that seems to suit your lifestyle best.
13. My grandparent(s) moved to XXX from Norway. Can I get citizenship? No. Citizenship rules are based on parents, not heritage. Read the section on citizenship and take the checklist test to see if you qualify.
14. I can't open a bank account because I don't have a D number. I cannot get a D number because I don't have an address. I can't rent an apartment without a bank account [screams into the void] Yes, we know. it's a chicken and egg problem that makes the situation particularly hard for people arriving. Some landlords will be flexible and put the deposit in their own account, but this puts you at risk of losing that money if that landlord is not trustworthy. Similar situation exists for students. Right now there are no good answers, but there are workarounds.
15. How do I find a house / apartment? finn.no is pretty much the go-to source for anything in Norway, but especially finding housing. hybel.no is another source
16. I found a job / employer who is interested in hiring, but they prefer people who already have a work permit. How do I get a work permit so a job will hire me? Another catch 22, unfortunately. You need the job first. There's no chance you can get a permit without a job. However, some people may have the right to come to Norway to search for work. Check UDI for further info
17. My partner and I have been together for several years, but have not lived together long enough to qualify as cohabitants, how can we move to Norway together? Live together longer or marriage are your only options.
18. I have been waiting for a response from UDI for a long time how, when will I find out You can read about UDI Waiting Times here. They are constantly changing and are usually quite long. Remember that there is a difference between local police / embassy times and UDI's waiting times. Waiting times are often a result of large numbers of applications, improper or incomplete information in applications, and applications that have higher priority (refugee and asylum, for example).
19. Can I get priority on my application? Maybe. But most do not get priority.

r/Norway Jul 20 '23

Mod Mega thread: R/place discussion thread

8 Upvotes

r/place is coming back and to help keep this subreddit tidy and free from an influx of r/place requests, treaties, posts, or plans, we ask that all redditors use this thread to communicate about r/place.

If you're new to reddit or have never heard about r/place before, it's a project that reddit did originally in 2017. Then they redid it last year, and will apparently be opening r/place again today (20 July). It is a collaborative (art) project and social experiment. Subreddit's have historically made plans to leave their mark - one pixel at a time - on a giant pixel canvas. Space is finite, so subreddits tend to "band together" to "defend" their little pixel patch. You can see last year's final product here.

It should also be mentioned that this year's project has been criticised for both its timing and in light of the recent changes to reddit's API access, lack of support for moderators, and removal of reddit awards (see this article).

We know that some users are upset about this and that some users don't care. This subreddit will not take a stance either way. Have fun and draw the king's face laughing, or protest reddit inc. The choice is yours. However, the mod team will not be "pinning" coordinates to assist here. We'll let this run just like previous years where people in this subreddit will cooperate to decide a spot.

r/Norway Jun 14 '23

Mod Update: Looking for community feedback after the 48hr blackout

0 Upvotes

Welcome back r/Norway.

During the blackout, r/norway was a part of a larger protest regarding Reddit Inc's proposed API-pricing structure. Many subreddits went dark between 12-13 June; many more are choosing to remain dark or restricted in continued protest over the API-pricing changes.

The mod team at r/Norway only discussed a 48hr protest; however, we are taking these proposed changes seriously. It was important for us as moderators to do something to voice our dissatisfaction over the proposed changes which affect third-party apps, accessibility on reddit, and many more tools/features that help to keep this community and reddit safe and useable.

Some of you might be asking: "so what?"

The changes proposed by Reddit will have a direct affect on users on a daily basis whether or not they use third-party apps.

Firstly, this subreddit relies on the automoderator/bot(s) to help keep this community safe and tidy. Sadly, bots (both good ones and bad ones) will be affected by these changes. This is bad. The sheer amount of spam, scams, porn, and graphically inappropriate posts that the automoderator removes on a daily basis helps to keep this subreddit and its users safe.

Secondly, about 20 000 - 70 000 users of r/Norway use iOS eller Android apps -- many of them third party apps because the reddit app is, to put it mildly, lackluster. Many moderators also rely on third-party apps to moderate their communities because those apps have much more functionality. Without this access users will be forced to use the official reddit app. This is bad news for users with accessibility issues (f.ex: visibility impairments) as reddit's app doesn't support the kind of accessibility needed. This is also bad news for moderators as the mod tools on the official app are sub par.

Finally, about 20 000 - 70 000 daily users log on to reddit via the mobile website. This feature may not be a functional feature for much longer as Reddit has been experimenting with denying access to mobile web. This is neither confirmed nor denied by official admins, but that they were testing limiting access is concerning.

So what do we do moving forward? While not as big as r/askreddit or r/todayilearned, r/norway is still a relatively large subreddit on this site. What we do can have some impact. The mods have been discussing this and we have come up with a few options.

For starters we could follow r/norge and many other subreddits and go dark indefinitely. No access for anyone, and no approved users during that time. This is a drastic action, but it's the one that will have the biggest impact.

Another option is we could do what r/askhistorians is doing and remain visible, but restricted. This would mean users could read the page, but no new posts would be permitted, and no approved users during that time.

A third suggestion that the mod team has discussed, and one that is preferred by the mod team at this time, is to implement a rolling blackout system. Since our busiest time on this subreddit is Fridays - Sundays, we would limit access to the subreddit (private/restricted) on these days, but otherwise remain open the other days.

We'd like to hear from the community before we make any decisions, but in full disclosure, the mod team is leaning towards option 3, and the results of this poll/comments in this subreddit are not binding.

1068 votes, Jun 18 '23
324 Go dark indefinitely. No approved users; no posting; no reading
117 Go restricted. No approved users; no new posts; sub is read-only
110 Rolling blackout. Busiest days will be restricted/private
167 Other (please comment with other suggestions)
350 See results

r/Norway Jun 09 '23

Mod PSA: r/Norway will go dark 12th and 13th June to protest Reddit's API policy change

85 Upvotes

We are confident that all the regulars here at r/Norway have heard about the changes Reddit is proposing to the API-pricing structure. A change that would make any third party app's access to Reddit all but unaffordable.

In responce to this change the r/Norway mod team have decided to make the sub private on June 12 & 13 in support of the Reddit-wide blackout.

For more information on why we, as the Mod Team, feels this important, please see the following links:

and

The Mod Team thank you all for your understanding and support in this matter.

r/Norway Jan 08 '23

Mod Announcement from the mod team: r/Norway now requires flairs

44 Upvotes

Hello everyone.

After a few users have requested it, the mod team has decided to give flairs a try in this community. From now on, all posts must have a flair.

We've done our best to find all the relevant flairs, however, if you think we've egregiously overlooked a flair, suggest it below.

  • Photo: self-explanatory, but this should be used for all photos and videos
  • Travel advice: used for questions related to travel and may include recommendations, transportation, or other related questions.
  • Working in Norway: for questions that relate to the work culture, rules, etc...
  • Food: post about food in Norway including "where can I find...", "do you really eat that much taco" (yes), and "how do I open this thing"
  • Arts & culture: A sort of catch-all for questions on culture, history, music, movies, general questions about sports, traditions, celebrations, etc...
  • Moving: while we will still delete any posts that break rule 4 (immigration), there are a lot of moving related questions like finding an apartment, bank accounts, mobile plans, etc...
  • Language: We still encourage such questions to go to r/norsk, however, sometimes interesting discussions come out of these questions.
  • Hiking/camping: while related to travel, this feels like it deserves its own category and can include recommendations on routes, gear, etc...
  • News and current events: things happening in Norway, news, reports about happiness, sporting or cultural events currently happening, etc...
  • Other: is if your question somehow doesn't fit into one of those above categories.

Finally, the mod team has discussed it and agreed that this subreddit will accept both Norwegian and English language posts. This has always been an unofficial policy among the mods, however, as of today, it is now an official policy. We thought it best to clarify this policy as there has been some confusion about the rules surrounding language in recent months. r/norge is still the place for all things about Norway in Norwegian, but this is also a sub about Norway and part of that is the language.

edit to say: I use new reddit primarily on PC. If you see a problem with the flairs on the old reddit, the reddit app, reddit on mobile, etc... just let us know and we'll try and figure out how to fix it. :)