You can be granted a residence permit if you are a Peace Corps volunteer engaged by a Norwegian partner of the Peace Corps.
Who can be granted a residence permit as a Peace Corps volunteer?
You must be a Peace Corps volunteer engaged by a Norwegian partner of the Peace Corps.
What requirements apply to the employment relationship?
- A concrete and relevant offer of employment
- As a rule, an offer of full-time employment for one employer
- Subsistence and housing must be guaranteed. Income from full-time employment is usually considered sufficient. The pay must not be poorer than stipulated in the applicable collective agreement or pay scale or what is normal for the occupation and place concerned. As a consequence of the Peace Corps’s remuneration system, agreed in cooperation with its partners, the pay will often be somewhat lower. Emphasis will be placed on whether you are going to receive payment in kind. Housing is deemed to be guaranteed when it satisfies the requirements of the health authorities.
How to apply
To apply for a residence permit, you must complete an application form. The application must be submitted to a Norwegian embassy or consulate in your home country or the country in which you have held a residence permit for the past six months. You cannot enter Norway and start working until your application has been granted. You will receive an answer to your application from the embassy or consulate.
Certain persons can, however, apply for a residence permit from Norway.
Your employer can apply on your behalf
Your employer can apply for a residence permit on your behalf if you authorise him/her in writing to do so. You can do this by filling in the section in the application form about authorisation or by completing an authorisation form. Your employer must submit the application to the police district in the place the employer has his/her registered business address or to a service centre for foreign workers (SUA).
What must be enclosed with the application?
In addition to the completed application form, you must enclose:
- a copy of your passport
- a passport photo/photo that meets specific requirements
- an offer of employment form signed by you and your employer.
- documentation that you are a Peace Corps volunteer, i.e. the invitation letter from the Peace Corps.
- information about accommodation
- documentation that you have paid the fee
- If your employer applies on your behalf, you must enclose an authorisation form.
As a rule, it is sufficient that you enclose a copy of the documents with your application, but you must present the original documents when you hand in your application. You must also enclose translations of the documents into Norwegian or English.
Permits during the processing of applications
You cannot start working without a residence permit. The police can, at your request, grant a temporary permit while your application is being processed if they believe it is likely that your application will be granted and you are entitled to apply from Norway.
How long will it take to process the application?
See the list of the UDI’s expected case processing times at www.udi.no/caseprocessingtimes.
The content of the permit
- The residence 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, 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 does not form the basis for a permanent residence permit (settlement permit).
- Family members can apply for residence permits pursuant to the rules for family immigration.
Is the permit renewable?
The permit can be renewed, but it cannot be granted for more than four years in all.
On application for renewal of a residence permit beyond a period of two years, a need for renewal must be documented over and above a general wish from the Peace Corps volunteer and/or the employer. It must also involve a need related to the relevant Peace Corps volunteer.
To be entitled to stay on the same conditions, you must apply for renewal of the residence permit one month at the latest prior to expiry of the previous permit. Applications for renewal should be submitted to the police in the district where you live. A fee must be paid for renewal applications.
You can appeal a rejection
You can appeal the decision. Read more about how to appeal a decision at
www.udi.no/appeals.
More information
For more information you can
contact your nearest Norwegian embassy or consulate or the
UDI’s Information Service for Applicants.
