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STUDYING IN NORWAY

How to stay in Norway after graduating from a Norwegian university

If you're staying in Norway on a study permit – which is temporary by default – and you're curious about your residence options once you graduate, we've got you covered.

Graduate
What options are available for students who want to remain in Norway after graduation? Photo by Albert Vincent Wu on Unsplash

Norway is generally considered an attractive country for international students with high-quality education and a range of scholarships, grants, and other financial support to help offset the cost of living and tuition fees.

However, students coming to the country often get the right to stay here through a study permit. As that’s a temporary residence permit, that means that a student – as a rule – must leave Norway after graduating from a university in Norway.

But what options are available to those who want to stay in the country after graduating?

What you need to know if you plan to stay in Norway after graduating

While the study permit is only a temporary residence option, several permit options are available to those who are about to graduate from a Norwegian university.

“Several residence permits can be applied for after achieving a degree or diploma in Norway that may give the applicant a continued stay in Norway based on a new residence permit.

“Most students apply for a job seeker permit, a residence permit as a skilled worker, or a study/researcher permit,” Vibeke Schjem, senior press advisor at the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI), told The Local.

The UDI employee proceeded to explain which conditions apply to these three permit types:

1. Job seeker permits: Schjem explained that “this permit may be granted to students who have recently graduated in Norway,” adding that the “permit has a maximum duration of one year, and the purpose of the stay must be being a job seeker for skilled work.”

You can find the conditions that apply here.

2. Residence permits for skilled workers: When it comes to the second among the popular permits, the residence permit for skilled workers, it’s important to know that “this is a work permit which requires that the applicant is ‘skilled,’ and it comes with the condition that the applicant has a Bachelor’s degree as a minimum and that the offered work in Norway is relevant and requires the applicant’s competence and higher education,” Schjem said.

The prerequisite and conditions for applying for residence permits for skilled workers can be found here.

3. Study/researcher permits: If a student is admitted to a study program of a higher level than their previous level of studies, a “renewed residence permit as a student may be granted.”

“For example, if the applicant has completed a Bachelor’s degree in Norway and has been admitted to a new study program on a Master’s level,” this permit could be a good fit, Schjem said.

PhD Studies or researcher work with own funds/employed researcher work may also “give grounds for a new residence permit if the conditions are considered as met, and the research is considered to be on a higher level than the previous studies in Norway, and other conditions are considered to be met,” according to the UDI.

However, if a student fails to fulfil the conditions to be granted a new residence permit, they must leave Norway after completing their studies.

The relevant conditions for this type of permit can be found here.

Important deadlines

How much time do international students have to get a residence permit after graduating before they need to leave Norway?

“A temporary residence permit is granted with a specific duration. After the expiry date of the permit, a student must leave Norway. Applications for a permit renewal on the same or new grounds must be applied for at least one month before the expiration date.

“This applies to all types of permits as per the Immigration Act section 61, sixth and seventh paragraph. If the applicant has applied for a permit more than one month before the expiry date of the previous one, and the conditions for applying for a permit are fulfilled, the applicant may stay in Norway during the processing time, cf. 61 sixth and seventh paragraph,” Schjem said.

The UDI employee also added that a “citizen with an EU/EEA citizenship is not required to apply for a residence permit in Norway (and other EU/EEA countries), but they must register at the police in Norway.”

According to the UDI, there are no special residence permit rules that apply only to recent graduates in Norway.

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For members

RESIDENCY PERMITS

The Norwegian vocab you need to understand the citizenship process

Many people who have settled in Norway aim to become citizens. The process involves some specific terminology you'll want to familiarise yourself with.

The Norwegian vocab you need to understand the citizenship process

Norway, a country often dubbed the envy of the world due to its social safety net, high standard of living, and jaw-dropping natural sights, often leaves a lasting impression on those who move here.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that many who move to this Scandinavian country develop a connection to it, leading them to consider becoming Norwegian citizens.

READ MORE: How long does it take to get Norwegian citizenship in 2024?

However, the journey to Norwegian citizenship is not without its complexities. The process is layered with various steps and requirements that can vary depending on your background and individual circumstances.

Adding to the challenge is the specific terminology used in the citizenship process.

Basic considerations

Like any legal procedure, obtaining Norwegian citizenship (Norwegian:statsborgerskap) involves a host of specific terms and phrases that are crucial for applicants to understand.

In this article, we will focus on the process for European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) nationals, as put forward by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).

First of all, if you live in Norway with a valid residence permit (Norwegian: oppholdstillatelse), note that it’s essential to ensure that your residence permit remains valid not only when you apply but also while your application (Norwegian: søknad) is being processed.

If your permit is close to expiring, remember to renew it (Norwegian:å fornye) at least one month before it expires (Norwegian: å utløpe).

The requirements (Norwegian: kravene) for Norwegian citizenship aren’t uniform for everyone.

Factors such as age, who you are married to, and when you arrived in Norway can affect how long you must have lived in Norway before applying.

You can learn more about the application process – and challenges often related to it – in The Local’s deep dive on the topic.

Other key requirements: Application fee, language and social studies tests

An application fee (Norwegian: søknadsgebyr) must be paid when you submit your citizenship application (Norwegian: søknad om statsborgerskap).

Verifying your identity is usually done through presenting an ID document (Norwegian: ID-dokument), such as a passport (Norwegian: pass).

Applicants must have been residing permanently in Norway (Norwegian: bo fast i Norge) at the time of application and plan to continue living in the country.

Typically, applicants aged between 18 and 67 years must pass Norwegian language tests (Norwegian: norskprøve) and a social studies test (Norwegian: prøve i samfunnskunnskap).

You can find out more about the two tests here (for the Norwegian language one) and here (for the social studies test) in our explainers.

The standard citizenship requirement involves having lived in Norway for at least eight of the past eleven years, with each residence permit valid for at least one year.

There are several exceptions to this rule, relating to refugees (Norwegian: flyktninger) and asylum seekers (Norwegian: asylsøker), financially independent individuals, and those who were born in Norway or moved to the country before the age of 18.

Other requirements exist, which we cover in more detail in articles that focus on the application process itself.

Dual citizenship and other important details

Since January 1st, 2020, Norway has allowed dual citizenship (Norwegian: dobbelt statsborgerskap), which means you can retain another nationality (Norwegian: å beholde det andre statsborgerskapet) without losing your Norwegian citizenship.

However, it’s important to check the regulations (Norwegian: reguleringer) of your current country of citizenship because some countries do not allow dual citizenship.

Understanding the terms we highlighted above not only eases communication with immigration authorities (Norwegian: immigrasjonsmyndigheter) but also enhances your own understanding of the process’s requirements and expectations.

This, in turn, helps alleviate stress and build confidence, making the entire process more managable.

Note that, as we have explained, becoming eligible for Norwegian citizenship is a process which takes years.

When you finally submit your documents (Norwegian: å sende inn dokumenter), you could find out whether you have been successful in a couple of months or up to two years. 

The Local has an explainer that looks at why some Norwegian citizenship applications take much longer than others.

Keep in mind that if you’re unsure about any details of your citizenship application, it’s always best to reach out directly to the UDI.

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