Special rules apply for skilled workers who want to come to Norway to seek employment here. You can be granted a residence permit as a jobseeker if you are a skilled worker and are subject to a visa requirement.
Who is eligible for a residence permit as a jobseeker?
- Your purpose must be to seek employment as a skilled worker or specialist in Norway.
- You must be subject to a visa requirement.
- You must be a skilled worker. The term skilled worker covers the following categories:
o Specialist training corresponding to upper secondary education level. You must have completed vocational training for a specific occupation. The education must as a minimum correspond to upper secondary education level, i.e. at least three years. If your were educated abroad, you must have achieved the same level of expertise as you would have achieved had you been educated in Norway. Examples include vocational education for joiners, plumbers or auxiliary nurses.
o Craft certificate. A craft certificate taken abroad must have resulted in the same level of expertise as a Norwegian craft certificate.
o University college or university education. The requirement is a completed degree or study programme. For examples Bachelor or Master’s degrees.
o Special qualifications. You must have gained expertise through professional experience of a certain duration, alternatively in combination with other training (courses and similar). If there is a formal education in the field, you must have achieved tthis hrough such education. Please note that, in principle, a skilled worker permit is only granted on the basis of special qualifications in exceptional circumstances and that thorough documentation is required.
- You are not eligible for a residence permit as a jobseeker if you are to seek employment as a religious leader/teacher or an ethnic cook.
- You must have sufficient funds for the period in which you intend to stay in Norway. This must correspond to salary grade one in the pay scale for Norwegian state employees. At the moment this corresponds to kr 103 950 for six months and equivalent to kr 17 725 per month.
- You must have travel or medical insurance which covers expenses incurred at a medical care facility for necessary and acute medical treatment, and for medical repatriation services related to patient transfer. The insurance shall be valid for all the Schnegen countries wtih minimun coverage of EUR 30, 000. The insurance shall be valid for the period you are applying for a residence permit.
Who does not need a residence permit as a jobseeker?
- If you are not subject to a visa requirement and are qualified as a skilled worker, you can stay in Norway without a residence permit for six months to seek employment as a skilled worker.
- You must report to the police in the place where you live no later than three months after your arrival in Norway, provide proof of your identity and inform the police that you are a job seeker.
- However, you need a residence permit if you are seeking work as a religious leader/ teacher or an ethnic cook.
How to apply
To apply for a residence permit, you must fill in an application form. You must submit your application to a Norwegian embassy or consulate in your home country or a country in which you have held a work and residence permit for the past six months. You may not enter Norway until your application for a jobseeker permit has been granted. You will receive an answer to your application from theembassy or consulate.
What must be enclosed with the application?
In addition to the completed application form, you must enclose:
As a rule, it is sufficient that you enclose a copy of the documents with your application, but it is a precondition that you present the original documents when you hand in your application. You must also enclose a translation of the documents into Norwegian or English.
NOTE! The documentation requirements vary from country to country and may change over time. You should therefore check what the requirements are with the Norwegian embassy or consulate in the country from which you are applying.
How long will it take to process the application?
See the list of the UDI’s expected case processing times at www.udi.no/caseprocessingtime.
The content of the permit
- The residence permit allows you to seek employment as a skilled worker in Norway, but it does not entitle you to work.
- The permit can be granted for six months.
- The permit entitles you to repeated entry into Norway for the duration of the permit.
- The permit does not form the basis for a permanent residence permit (settlement permit).
- The permit does not form the basis for family immigration.
Is the permit renewable?
The permit is not renewable. A new permit as a jobseeker cannot be granted until the applicant has stayed outside Norway for one year.
You can appeal a rejection
You can appeal the decision. Read about how you appeal at www.udi.no/appeals.
Further information
For more information, contact your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate, or the UDI’s Information Service.
Read more about residence permits for skilled workers the website UDIregelverk
