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OSLO

How Oslo plans to cut work permit waiting times down to three days

Oslo will trial a scheme which aims to reduce the time it takes for a foreigner to be cleared to work in Norway down to three days.

Pictured is the opera house in Oslo, which sits on the Oslo fjord.
Oslo will aim to cut the time it takes to receive a work permit down. Pictured is the opera house in Oslo, which sits on the Oslo fjord. Photo by Delia Giandeini on Unsplash

Those from outside the EEA typically need a work permit to come from overseas to Norway for work.

To apply for a work permit, one must typically have a full-time job offer on the table and then wait to be granted a residence permit by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) to begin work. In some cases, the employee may be granted permission to start the job before residence is granted.

The downside to the current system is the time it takes for a work permit to be granted and for foreign workers to access other things, such as their identification number and bank account.

It currently takes around 37 weeks from when an employee who needs a work permit signs a contract until they have everything they need to participate in Norwegian society, according to Oslo Municipality.

“We see that many Norwegian businesses, especially in Oslo, find it difficult to get international workers approved. It is a huge challenge,” Rina Mariann Hansen, Vice Mayor for Business Development and Public Ownership at the City of Oslo, told Norwegian business news publication E24.

Oslo Municipality will trial a new digital solution that will aim to cut down the time it takes from around nine months to three days. The project is a collaboration involving the city, Oslo Business Region, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, Bank ID, the University of Oslo, the police and the Norwegian Tax Administration, among others.

The system called the Kompetansespor (the competence track), will see the employer verify the candidate’s identity through the employment contract. The employee will then have all the relevant paperwork uploaded to their “digital wallet” for the authorities to access.

According to Oslo Municipality, the digital portal will not require legislative changes or require new rules for residence permits to be created.

The pilot scheme’s first phase is being trialled and will be finished in September. The initial phase involves manually testing how to speed up the time it takes for new hires from outside the EU/EEA to be cleared for work.

The results of the first phase will be publicly presented during Oslo Innovation Week in late September. Only selected employers chosen by the municipality are participating in the pilot scheme. It currently isn’t clear when the digital wallet will be launched to employers.

The criteria for firms to join the Kompetansespor scheme have not been defined and will be decided by the authorities. The criteria will be made publicly available when the solution has been tested and is ready for rollout.

It isn’t possible for those looking to come to Norway to sign up for the scheme either.

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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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