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IMMIGRATION

The key things you need to know about Norwegian residence waiting times 

A number of readers have been in touch about long waiting times for residence in Norway. Here are some things you should know about waiting times and your application. 

Published: 3 May 2022 16:10 CEST
Lofoten in Norway
There are a few things you should know about waiting times in Norway. Pictured is Lofoten in Norway. Photo by Johny Goerend on Unsplash

Whether you’ve already applied for residence in Norway, will reapply for a new permit, or intend on applying in the future, there will be a waiting time to have your application processed. 

Therefore, it’d be good to have an overview of all the key information you need to know about waiting times. 

How to check your waiting time

There isn’t really a catch-all expected waiting time for applications. Instead, it will depend on the permit you are applying for and your own situation. 

The Norwegian Immigration Directorate (UDI) has guides on rough waiting times for your application times, which it updates regularly. 

The waiting time only calculates the time it takes to process your application and doesn’t take into account how long it will take you to get an appointment to hand in your documents. 

The waiting times are updated every month, so it is worth checking regularly. Additionally, it may take longer to process your case than the waiting time provided. 

You can click here to take a look at the UDI’s waiting times for various application types. 

There may be long processing times

Several applicants have gotten in touch with The Local to share their experiences of long-waiting times to have their cases processed. 

In some instances, applicants are left waiting more than 18 months for their application to be processed, while others have said that the waiting time provided to them by the UDI is increasing almost every month. 

The UDI has said that there were several reasons why waiting times in Norway had increased, such as the pandemic, Covid entry rules implemented throughout 2020 and 2021 and the adoption of dual citizenship. 

It added that the influx of refugees from Ukraine has led to uncertainty over when waiting times could decrease. 

READ MORE: Why some Norwegian residence applications take so long to process

Newer applications may be processed quicker than older ones

At the turn of the year, the UDI changed how it handles applications. This means that applications submitted in 2022 typically have shorter waiting times than ones submitted before this year. 

The UDI has done this to decrease waiting times in the long term. However, in the short term, it has meant that some applications have been shunted back in the queue.

Where to complain 

If you have been waiting for your case to be processed longer than the waiting time, or you feel as if you have been treated unfairly by the directorate, then you can always submit a complaint. 

You can complain to the UDI directly. Alternatively, you can complain to an ombudsman. Sivilombudet, or The Norwegian Parliamentary Ombudsman, also handles complaints about the UDI. 

 Last year the ombudsman received 4,000 complaints from people who believe they had been exposed to injustice or errors from public authorities. 

The ombudsman noted that it saw an increase in complaints surrounding issues relating to immigration and case processing times. 

The UDI is working to reduce waiting times

Waiting times will eventually go down, the UDI has told The Local previously. It said that it was implementing some measures with the aim of slashing processing times. 

Among the measures is the aforementioned change of workflow and increased automation. 

“The aim is to work more efficiently so that, in the long run, all applicants will experience more predictability and get their decisions faster,” Karl Erik Sjøholt, director of residence at the UDI, told The Local. 

READ MORE: When will waiting times for Norwegian residence go down?

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For members

WORKING IN NORWAY

The biggest barriers foreigners in Norway face at work

Norway’s integration directorate has put together a report on how foreigners in Norway fit into working life as part of a wider plan to combat discrimination.

Published: 5 April 2024 12:36 CEST
Updated: 18 April 2024 11:09 CEST
The biggest barriers foreigners in Norway face at work

Foreigners in Norway are three times as likely to be unemployed, and up to 40 percent of migrant workers are overqualified for their role, according to a new report from The Directorate of Integration and Diversity.

The overview of working life put together by the directorate is part of a wider action plan from the Norwegian government to try and combat racism and ethnic discrimination.

READ ALSO: How much money do Norway’s different foreigners make?

Working life was the focus of the report from the integration directorate as it is an area where foreigners make a key contribution to Norwegian society.

“From an integration perspective, it is absolutely crucial to make it possible for immigrants to contribute their resources in various areas of society, and working life is the most important area for inclusion and integration,” the report read.

Despite the importance of work for integration, there were several areas where foreigners were much worse off than their Norwegian counterparts in working life.

Nearly half of immigrants in Norway are overqualified for their job

The report said that immigrants in Norway were much more likely than the rest of the population to experience barriers in their careers, both when starting out and when trying to progress.

Figures from the report show that 40 percent of immigrants were overqualified for their job, compared to 14 percent of the rest of the population.

“This shows that there is great potential for better use of immigrants’ skills in working life, and a need to break down barriers,” the report read.

In addition to being overqualified for their jobs, foreigners in Norway were also more likely to lose their jobs, be unemployed, or leave working life earlier.

This was partially due to working in temp positions, physically taxing occupations, and industries exposed to economic turbulence, but also due to a lack of Norwegian proficiency, a lack of relevant skills and poor health.

One of the issues with foreigners leaving their working lives earlier than their Norwegian counterparts is that they were less likely to be entitled to an old age pension in the country.

READ ALSO: Five key things you need to know about Norway’s state pension

Discrimination in the workplace is an issue for workers from overseas

The report found that discrimination prevented immigrants from entering the workplace but also caused problems once foreigners were able to land a job.

“More and more people in the population have contact with immigrants in working life, and most experience that contact as mainly positive. At the same time, one in four immigrants has experienced discrimination in the workplace, and this discrimination can occur in different forms and in different working situations,” the report read.

Norway’s integration directorate also outlined that while plenty of employers are positive about diversity within their business, very few have concrete measures to try and promote diversity.

This is despite the report also outlining that a diverse workforce could be more profitable for business through “increased productivity, lower wage costs, more exports and more innovation”.

Norwegian skills are improving, but still need work

While there were plenty of structural barriers to finding work and progressing one’s career in Norway, one thing holding foreigners back is their Norwegian skills.

While Norwegian skills were moving in the right direction, less than half of foreigners in the country had advanced Norwegian language skills (level B2 according to the European framework) after completing language training.

Lower Norwegian skills were pointed to as one reason why immigrants were more likely to be unemployed, along with low levels of formal education and qualifications, little work experience, and a lack of network in the country.

The report also pointed towards a connection with immigrants’ Norwegian skills and their health, formal and informal networks, and participation in immigration.

Women find it harder than men to find work

In almost all cases, women face more barriers to finding a suitable job in Norway than men.

Around 40 percent of female migrant workers faced barriers in finding a job compared to 34 percent of men.

This was almost regardless of the reason for moving to Norway. However, male refugees were the exception, with women with an asylum seeker background facing fewer barriers than men. Overall, refugees were the groups to face the largest barriers in working life.

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