Special rules apply to residence permits for ethnic cooks. You can be granted a residence permit as an ethnic cook if you are going to work at an ethnic restaurant and prepare food that represents the culinary traditions of your home country.
‘Ordinary’ cooks are not covered by the term ‘ethnic cooks’, but they can apply for permits pursuant to the rules for skilled workers.
What requirements apply to the employment relationship?
- To apply for a residence permit as an ethnic cook, you must have received a concrete and relevant offer of employment from an employer in Norway.
- As a rule, you must have received an offer of full-time employment for one employer.
- The pay and working conditions must not be poorer than those stipulated in the applicable collective agreement or pay scale. This means that you must be paid in accordance with ‘Riksavtalen for hotell og restaurant’ (National collective agreement for hotel and restaurant workers (see www.fellesforbundet.no)).
- The restaurant you are to work for must be an ethnic restaurant. The term ethnic restaurant means a restaurant where food from only one country is served, and which, based on the restaurant concept and decor/interior, can be considered to present the culture of the country from which it serves food.
What requirements apply to your qualifications?
If you have been offered employment as an ethnic cook, you can be granted a residence permit pursuant to the rules for residence permits for skilled workers.
Common requirements
Irrespective of whether a training system for ethnic cooks exists in your home country, it is a common requirement that the period of training/education and practical experience totals ten years. At least half of your work experience must be from a hotel/restaurant of a high standard. As a main rule, you must have reached the age of 30 at the time of application.
The education/training must be documented through certificates, which must include:
- information about the degree you have been awarded
- the name of the educational institution
- the duration of the education/training
- the time period when the education/training was taken.
You must document practical experience through statements from former employer(s). The statement must include:
- The time period you worked there (from/to dates).
- Detailed information about the work you performed
- A brief description of the nature/size of the restaurant and the menu
- Information stating whether the restaurant is of a high standard and confirmed by a relevant public body.
Special requirements for Chinese applicants
If you are an ethnic cook from China who were educated in and have work experience from China, you must present a craft certificate proving that you fall within the category of ‘Senior technical cook (NVQ Level 1)’ or ‘Technical cook (NVQ Level 2)’. This also applies if you are from China and reside in Hong Kong. You must also document all work experience that led to the ‘Senior technical cook’ or ‘Technical cook’ certificate.
What requirements apply to your employer?
You must present the following documentation and information from your employer:
- license to serve food
- financial profitability, confirmed by an auditor
- number of approved seats
- opening times and number of shifts
- menu
- number of employees and job titles
- name, nationality and date of birth of employees who are foreign nationals.
The restaurant must be seen as presenting the culture of the country from which it serves food. Your employer must therefore provide a brief explanation of the restaurant’s business concept.
If your employer runs several restaurants, he/she must state which restaurant you will work at. The residence permit will be linked to this specific restaurant and employer and it will not entitle the holder to work at other restaurants in the same company.
What other employers can hire ethnic cooks?
Catering companies that serve food from only one country. The requirements regarding education/training, work experience, age and pay for ethnic cooks in catering companies are the same as for ethnic cooks at ethnic restaurants. Your employer must provide a brief explanation of the scale of the business (number of jobs), and you must also provide the following documentation and information from your employer:
- financial profitability
- working hours and number of shifts
- menu
- number of employees and job titles
- name, nationality and date of birth of employees who are foreign nationals.
How to apply
You must complete an application form and submit it to a Norwegian embassy or consulate in your home country or a country in which you have held a work or residence permit for the past six months. You may not enter the country and start working before the application has been granted. You will receive an answer to your application from the embassy or consulate or via the person you have authorised in Norway, if applicable.
Certain groups can apply for a residence permit from Norway.
Your employer can apply on your behalf
Your employer can also apply for a residence permit on your behalf if you authorise him/her in writing. You can do this by filling in the authorisation section in the application form, by completing an authorisation form or by providing some other form of written authorisation. In the latter case, the application must be submitted to the police district in which your employer has his/her registered business address.
Change of jobs or employers
If you change jobs (position) or employers, you must submit a new application for a residence permit.
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 translations of the documents into Norwegian or English by an authorised translator with the application.
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/case-processing-times.
The content of the permit
- The permit applies to a specific job and a specific employer. Therefore, you cannot work in another job or for another employer than stated in the permit.
- Permits can be granted for one year at a time, but never for longer than the duration of the employment relationship.
- The permit entitles you to repeated entry into Norway for the duration of the permit.
- The permit forms the basis for a permanent residence permit. After holding a residence permit that forms the basis for a permanent residence permit for a continuous period of three years (on any grounds), you can apply for a permanent residence permit. A change of employer does not interrupt the period as long as you have worked in Norway continuously for three years. More about conditions and the procedure for applying for a permanent residence permit.
- Family members can apply for residence permits pursuant to the rules for family immigration.
Is the permit renewable?
The permit is renewable. To be entitled to stay on the same conditions until your permit has been processed, you must apply for renewal of the residence permit one month at the latest prior to expiry of the previous permit. The application should be submitted to the police where you live. They will forward the application to the UDI for processing.
In addition to the completed application form for renewal of the residence permit, you must enclose:
- confirmation of assured housing
- certificate of Pay and Tax Deducted for the last calendar year, or confirmation from an auditor of the payment received
- pay slips for the entire duration of the previous permit period
- information from the employer about any changes in the number of employees since the previous work permit was granted (including any names of foreign employees who have been hired or have left)
- financial profitability, confirmed by an auditor
- documentation that you have paid the fee.
You can appeal a rejection
You can appeal the decision. Read about how to appeal at www.udi.no/appeal.
Further information
For more information, contact your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate or the UDI’s Information Service. Further information about this permit is available on the web portal UDIregelverk.
