The current security situation in Gaza means that people staying there do not have the opportunity to meet in person at application centres serving the Norwegian embassy in Amman, which is responsible for handling applications from people from the Palestinian territories.

Due to the security situation in Gaza and the fact that it is difficult to travel out of Gaza now, it will temporarily be possible for a family member in Norway (the reference person) to submit an application for family immigration on behalf of a family member staying in Gaza. The scheme will apply until it is again possible for stateless Palestinians in Gaza to submit an application for family immigration in the ordinary way through personal attendance.

There are no changes to the rules for who can be granted family immigration or which exceptions can be made from the ordinary rules. Those who usually apply for family immigration are spouses or children of a person who already lives in Norway. Other examples are parents who have minor children in Norway or minor full siblings of persons residing in Norway.

If a parent applies for a 9-month residence permit to visit children in Norway, we must assess whether the parent will return to their home country after the visit. Due to the situation in Gaza, it will take a lot for us to conclude in our assessment that the parent will return to Gaza after the visit. The applications we have received so far have been rejected.

Adult siblings, aunts/uncles, grandparents, nephews/nieces, cousins, or other distant relatives cannot get family immigration to Norway.

The humanitarian and security situation in Gaza does not provide grounds for exceptions to the ordinary rules for family immigration.

Persons who are granted a residence permit after submitting an application for family immigration under this temporary arrangement cannot expect to receive assistance from the Norwegian authorities for assisted departure from Gaza.

Stateless Palestinians staying outside Gaza are not covered by the guideline. Applications submitted on their behalf from Norway will normally be rejected on formal grounds. Stateless Palestinians staying outside Gaza must apply the ordinary way by handing in the documents in person at a VFS application centre in the country of residence.

How to apply in Norway on behalf of a family member in Gaza

1. Complete the application form online (external website) and pay the fee. When you fill in the application, you must choose your police district in Norway as the location where you will hand in the application. You must fill in the rest of the application with personal details and other information about the applicant (family member) in Gaza. You are not supposed to book an appointment with the police in Norway to submit the application. The police will contact you.
2. Wait until the police have registered the case and contacted you to request documentation on the checklist.
3. Upload all necessary documentation via UDI's website. It is important that you ensure that the documents you have uploaded are easy to read. It will save time in our case processing. If necessary, UDI may request that original documents be submitted at a later stage in the case processing.

The application is considered submitted only when you have uploaded the necessary documentation. Applications without sufficient documentation may take longer to process and will be rejected if family relationship and identity cannot be proven.

Even if the application is submitted from Norway, we will assess the application in the same way as before. This means that we may request that the family member in Gaza or the reference person in Norway to attend an interview or DNA testing later in the process. We will process the applications as quickly as possible, but the situation in Gaza and the fact that UDI needs to carry out the necessary investigations in connection with the case processing may mean that there may be a long waiting time for the applications.

If you have already sent an application for family immigration electronically to the embassy in Amman, but the family member is not able to leave Gaza to submit the application, you can apply again from Norway. You must then contact the embassy in Amman and request a refund of the application fee. You must then fill in and pay for a new application.

If a residence permit is granted, your family member must appear in person to be issued a visa to Norway

It is the reference person in Norway who receives an answer to the application for family immigration, and the reference person must, if possible, notify the family member in Gaza. UDI will also send the decision to the embassy in Amman.

If the application for family immigration is granted, your family member must later appear in person at an application centre serving the Norwegian embassy in Amman to be issued a visa to Norway. Currently, the following application centers are relevant:

• VFS Application Centre in Beirut, Lebanon (external website)
• VFS Application Centre in Amman, Jordan (external website)
• VFS Application Centre in Cairo, Egypt (external website, opens in new window)
• VFS Application Centre in Tel Aviv, Israel (external website, opens in new window)
• VFS Application Centre in Alger, Algeria (external website, opens in new window)

When you as the reference person in Norway fill in the online application form, you must provide contact information for your family member in Gaza in order for UDI/the Norwegian embassy in Amman to be able to get in contact with the family member.