What are the rules?

Last year, 1,800 foreign nationals were ordered to leave Norway by the authorities. The overwhelming majority of these (1,300) were deported for breaching the Immigration Act. 

Norway’s Immigration Act covers a broad scope meaning those deported for breaking the act could have done anything from providing immigration authorities intentionally misleading information to obtain a permit or breaching the act by being convicted of a crime.

The law gives immigration authorities the power to revoke the residence of a foreign national and order them to leave the country. In addition, many residence permits in Norway are granted conditionally, meaning certain requirements must be met. 

For example, a work permit may depend on a specific job relevant to your skills, or on you holding specific qualifications. Or, for a family permit, information about the length of time you have been with your partner is important, or the exact relationship between you and the reference person in the application. 

These details being wrong can cause your permit to be revoked should the authorities find out, even if you have lived in Norway for years and have had previous permits granted. 

It’s worth noting that these rules don’t just apply to work and family permits but to all foreign nationals in Norway where their residence is conditional.

What do the authorities do when they think you have broken the rules? 

Should the authorities have reason to believe that you have provided incorrect information on any residence or citizenship applications, they will typically invite you for an interview with the police or notify you of your revocation in advance. 

You will be allowed to access legal assistance while the process to withdraw residence or citizenship proceeds. You will also have the right to access the documents in your case. 

Once a decision is made, you can choose to appeal, and you will also be allowed to access legal assistance while the appeal is lodged. 

What happens if you are found to have broken these rules? 

If you are ordered to leave Norway for providing misleading information, you will likely also be expelled from the wider EEA area and banned from entering Norway. This can be for a set period or permanently. 

Those with Norwegian citizenship can also have their citizenship revoked by the authorities if they have provided incorrect information or withheld key details. However, the UDI states that it does not typically revoke the citizenship of children or adults who were under 18 when granted citizenship. 

You can read more about the revocation of citizenship and residence permits here.

Is there any chance you’ll be allowed to stay? 

An appeal proving that you haven’t misled the authorities is perhaps the surest bet to be able to stay in Norway. 

In the event this fails, the UDI, in some cases, can grant a new residence permit. It does this in cases where there is a particular connection to Norway, there are strong humanitarian considerations, or you are a refugee protected against expulsion.