Criteria that must be met

To be granted such a permit, you must meet the following five criteria:

• As a rule, the person with whom you are applying for family immigration must be a student at a university college or a university. This means a master or PhD programme at a university college or a university. The application will normally not be granted if the student has less than one year left of his or her studies.
• You must be a member of the student's immediate family. Persons who can be granted such a permit are children, spouses, cohabitants who have lived together for more than two years and cohabitants who have or are expecting a child together.
• You must be ensured financial support and housing. 
• You must live with the person with whom you have been granted family immigration for the duration of the permit.  
• You must return to your home country when the student has finished his/her education.

Read more about how to apply and what must be enclosed with the application. To avoid longer processing times, it is important to enclose all relevant documentation not only with the student's application, but also with your application.

Read about where to submit the application for family immigration (in Norwegian only).

The person in Norway must  be able to support you  financially

The student in Norway must be able to  support you financially when you come to Norway. There is an exemption from the requirement for previous income if the person living in Norway (reference person) has a student residence permit. But there is a requirement for future income. This means that he or she must document that he or she has a total income corresponding to salary grade eight in the pay scale for Norwegian state employees. This income can for example be loans or grants received in connection with studies, and/or income from part time work.

• If the student in Norway has income from work, you must document this with an employment contract and pay slips from the last three months. If you have not arrived in Norway yet, you may document the future income with an  offer of employment from an employer in Norway. This offer must state what the salary is, and how many hours the student will work.
• If the student in Norway has loans or grants received in connection with studies – this must be documented by a copy of the decision from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen) or similar and payments for the last three months.
• If the student in Norway has own funds, that means money that is in the student’s own bank account or in a deposit account at the university or college, this amount can be taken into account

The main rule is that,  it is the student who personally has to  document that he or she can support  you financially. There are  exemptions from this in the following cases:

• if you as an applicant is already working legally in Norway
• if you as an applicant have own funds, that means money that is in a bank account, this amount can be taken into account

or 

• if you are married or are cohabitants, and the student in Norway has completed at least 60 credits and you are both over the age of 23

In these cases your income can also contribute to the total income needed to ensure financial support.

This income can for example consist of employment income from Norway. If you are not already employed in Norway, you can document with a job contract where it states that you can start working if you are granted a resident permit in Norway. The income from Norway can also consist of the following:

• income from employment – documented by an employment contract and pay slips from the last three months 
• sickness benefit, pregnancy benefit, parental benefit, disability pension or retirement pension from the National Insurance Scheme – documented by copies of decisions from NAV and pay slips for the last three months 
• other permanent pensions or periodical benefits (insurance payments or similar) – documented by copies of decisions or similar and payments for the last three months 
• introduction benefit for newly arrived immigrants – documented by a copy of the decision letter from the municipality and transcripts of payments for the last three months 
• loans or grants received in connection with studies – documented by a copy of the decision, agreement or similar and payments for the last three months

In addition to this, the student living in Norway must not have received financial support or qualification benefit from  the social services (NAV) in the year before his/her family member applies for family immigration. Your local NAV office may provide such documentation for you to disclose.

The criteria for financial support does not apply when the applicant is the child of the student in Norway, and the child is below the age of 15 and has no care providers in his/her home country.

What rights does such a family immigration permit entail?

If you are granted family immigration with a student, you will also be entitled to work full-time for the duration of the permit. The permit does not, however, form the basis for a permanent residence permit (settlement permit).