UDI Immigration Changes for 2010
At the beginning of each new year UDI takes the opportunity to make changes. Here are a few to watch out for in 2010:
Residence Permits
Name changes are ‘all the go’ right now.
- All Permits
UDI: The term “residence permit” replaces residence and work permits, so that all permits are called residence permits. In principle, a residence permit will entitle the holder to work in Norway, but in some cases, it will be specified that the residence permit does not entitle the holder to work or that certain restrictions will apply in relation to work. The term “work permit” will no longer be used.
- Permanent Residence Permit
UDI: A permanent residence permit entitles the holder to permanently reside and work in Norway. “Permanent residence permits” replace settlement permits in the new Act. This permit is granted to persons who have had permits for at least three consecutive years that form the basis for a permanent residence permit in Norway.
Also, the word “asylum” is being replaced by the politically correct word “protection”.
Work
There is good news for employers and employees – in general, you don’t have to wait for a Permit to be granted before starting work:
UDI: Early work start makes it possible to start working in Norway early. The arrangement with early work start makes it possible for work migrants to start working before the application for residence permit has been processed and granted.
There are also “easier” laws for EEA nationals to reside and work in Norway. In general, EEA nationals do not need to apply for residency.
Family Immigration
Unfortunately, Family Immigration will become a lot tougher. This is to curb the current trend of ‘marriage of convenience’.
UDI: The new Act introduces new criteria for granting family immigration permits. These are stricter requirements for assured subsistence (financial support) and a requirement of four years of work experience and/or education in Norway in order to be granted family immigration permits.
In family immigration cases, the main rule is that the person living in Norway must be able to document a sufficient income the year before he or she wishes to bring his/her family to Norway, and he/she must also be able to prove that he/she will have sufficient income the following year. In addition, a new requirement is introduced stating that the reference person in Norway, as a main rule, must not have received social security benefits in the past year.
The main rule is further that family immigration permits will not be granted, unless the reference person has worked or studied in Norway for four years.
Unfortunately, people before us have made some crazy moves that are making it tough for us now. In the last months a couple of instances have fronted in the papers about ‘marriage of convenience’. In particular, a Norwegian woman married a Tunisian man (16 years her younger) just after one week. They couldn’t communicate with each other as they had no common language and yet UDI failed to notice this ‘marriage of convenience’. The Norwegian Embassy in Tunisia was outraged with UDI’s “granted” decision. The Embassy refused to give the man a visa to leave the country. The Norwegian Ambassador to Tunisia, who had done a study on marriages between Tunisians and Norwegians, said:
We found out that in nearly 100% of the cases the marriage was dissolved, and that likewise, the time for dissolving the marriage was almost without exception, three years.
Being under fire for their year of failings to detect such instances, UDI has decided to make things tougher for everyone. As a result, there is a new immigration law in regards to marriage: As of January 1st, it is illegal of marry someone with the purpose of giving them entry into the country (whereas before, it was just illegal to charge money for it).
All these changes will take effect 01/01/2010. Make sure you check the UDI website periodically to be informed and updated.
Information correct at posting: http://www.udi.no/Norwegian-Directorate-of-Immigration/Oversiktsider/The-new-Immigration-Act-and-Immigration-Regulations-/
Comments are now closed. Please read the whole article and the comments below, and you may very well find the answer to your question.
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hi
while i am waiting for a permenat permet i got one year permet , now more than 10 months, and when i contact udi they say still under process and it seems will not respond untill after summer,should they renew my pirmet at police if it expired before the discion made by udi, is that will be done right a way or i need to apply for ((waiting)) renew, i mean application and so on.
Regards
____________________
from L-Jay:
This is a tough one. I would call them up and ask if you should apply for your permanent residency even though your last permit hasn’t come through yet. If you don’t get a response you can always go down to the police office and ask in person.
hi, i pply the permit last year in march 2009 and still waiting many time i went to the udi they said just wait..i deserve to permit
____________________
from L-Jay:
Most of the time UDI has to wait for your home country to respond. Blame your home country for not getting back to UDI quick enough
hey i applied on marriage basies in feb. and my husband is citizen of norway when vill i get the visa?.interview are done.udi gives 12 months time..whats dis
____________________
from L-Jay:
It largely depens on what country you are from – some countries can be difficult because of bad record keeping and take a long time to ge back to UDI.
Hi,
My Husband who is Norwegian has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and we have just been leaving in Norway for a year.What happens if your spouse dies, before the 3 years period is up, are you required to go back to your country or are you still allowed to stay in Norway?
____________________
from L-Jay:
UDI says:
I’ve read somewhere, but I cannot find it, that if your spouse dies then you might be able to stay under compassionate grounds.
Thanks a lot!!!
hi brother has a norwayian fianc and she want to invite him on holidays but the lady is telling us stories we don’t understand we feel he is just using my brother and take UDI responsible for the delay of his going to norway, and this lady visit us 3 time a year.
please advice us we love our brother and he is just 32 this year and the lady is in her late 50s.
____________________
from L-Jay:
Usually if you have applied to UDI from wihin Norway you cannot leave the country until your application has been processed.
hi … my husband is going to norway as a masters student in this august i am 3months pregnant so can i apply in 6months so that i can join my husband in norway .please let me know i am in tens
____________________
from L-Jay:
It depends on how long your partner will have left of his degree. If less than a year then your application could not go through.
I am Moroccan Citizenship and on February 2010, I was granted the Permanent Residence Permit,
Due to the nature of my position, I have to travel a lot around middle East, Africa, Asia promoting the Norwegian company products that I represent ( I can document the past 3 years of my business trips), and because of my Moroccan passport, I face a lot of problems in been granted a visa for those countries on time , to schedule my business trips and to meet the interest of my company to attend important meeting when it is demanded, or urgent to make some actions.
I know the basis to apply for Norwegian citizenship is to leave 7 years within 10 years in Norway , which I do not fulfill this requirement at this moment but my intention is to continue living here and adopt Norway as my country.
I would like to know and explore to possibility to apply for citizenship based on the ground mentioned above. Please let me know what it is needed to be granted a Norwegian citizenship in my case.
please advise
hi,
i am a gay who come tak asylum here in norway. i have 19 months now no answer from UDI. i have a girlfriend who asking me always for marriage .
i want to know if i can ask UDI for marriage ,
thanks ,
____________________
from L-Jay:
If you change your status then you will have to go back to square one and reapply. You might even have to leave Norway if you require a visa to enter the Schengen area for your application to be processed.
I am Moroccan Citizenship and on February 2010, I was granted the Permanent Residence Permit.
Due to the nature of my position, I have to travel a lot around middle East, Africa, Asia promoting the Norwegian company products that I represent ( I can document the past 3 years of my business trips), and because of my Moroccan passport, I face a lot of problems in been granted a visa for those countries on time , to schedule my business trips and to meet the interest of my company to attend important meeting when it is demanded, or urgent to make some actions.
I know the basis to apply for Norwegian citizenship is to leave 7 years within 10 years in Norway , which I do not fulfill this requirement at this moment but my intention is to continue living here and adopt Norway as my country.
I would like to know and explore to possibility to apply for citizenship based on the ground mentioned above.
Any advise or suggestions. Thanks for your support
____________________
from L-Jay:
The rules of citizenship are very strict. Even to get a residency you must not have left the country for more than 7 months in a three year period. I know of an american who travelled a lot with their job but is now ‘grounded’ in Norway because she has travelled too much and doesn’t fulfill the living requirements. She cannot leave the country for two and a half years now if she wants to get a permanent residency. If she does she looses her right to live in Norway and will have to return back to the US.
Thanks for your reply.
Regarding the permanent residence, there is another rule/exception for skilled worker, those who spend more than seven months abroad during the last three years, must enclose company attestation confirming and certifying that all the business trips mentioned in the application form for permanent residence are accordingly to company requirement, instruction and executed with their conformity and knowledge. ( you need to mention also the private ones). In my case, I was 256 days out Norway and had no problem to get the permanent residence (processing time took 75 days based on urgent case–TRD).
My concern is now about the Norwegian citizenship and sincerely if I have some kind of international visa that allows me travelling without going through the process of visa application as this consumes me mentally and wastes my time I will not be in hurry, will wait until I reach the 7 years required for Norwegian citizenship.
If you know some other cases that get the Norwegian citizenship on the ground of residence in Norway for less than 7 years, I will appreciate if you can share the experience, documentation needed. Thanks
_____________________
from L-Jay:
There is one case that comes to mind at the moment and that is when a person has lived in Norway for about ten years, leaves the country for a couple of years and then returns – they can get a rush on citizenship. (This info is on the UDI site under ‘citizenship’.) I also think that adoption is another fast track as they child is considered ‘Norwegian’. Other than that it is 7 years minimum. Also, it used to be a requirement to pass a Norwegian language test but they seem to have changed that.
hello dear h r u hope all fine and safe , iam iraqi person living in iraq but for bad luck i am under threat cause i v worked with the us army , and icrc org i want to come to ur side whats is ur suggestaion to me and my case will be apply to yours with my regardes
____________________
from L-Jay:
You will need to apply through the UN to get refugee status. You will have a choice of countries but may not get your first pick. It might be a long wait and you might not get the country you choose but if you decline you might not get another opportunity. Refugee status is like giving up your rights for safety.
thank you dear for ur replly about the un i did already with no answer i did the iom programme the say it will take un less 2 years and i dont have that time iam under threat me and my wife life and i dont have another choice i decied 2 come to norway even by un legal way , pls advice me even with privte email pls,thnx
____________________
from L-Jay:
Compared to other major countries Norway takes in relatively fewer immigrants. (Norway has only less than five million people.) I’d suggest looking at a major country rather than Norway if you want to increase your chances of leaving your home country.
thank u dear for ur reply do u have any idea about the countries that will make my chance increased as u say , and pls will u name it for me which country give the imgrate now .many thnx
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from L-Jay:
I don’t know which countries take in more people but it is logical that the bigger countries do like US, UK, Canada etc – the UN should be able to tell you when you apply for refugee placement. The wait is always long as there are many people applying – you would be very lucky if you get a placement within two years.
Hi,
I had applied my case for permanent in sep-09 fom pk. interview has done. Udi say it will take 12 month from the date of applied. now its sep. how much time will it take. now the new policy is up to 14 month. when I applied it was 10 processing time. in Jan it changed to 12 months now its 14 month. which should i apply. how much i have to wait. many thanks.
____________________
from L-Jay:
Some people have to wait three years or more. There are a lot of elements that set back time: wrong information, uncooperative home country, change in laws, too many applicants, holidays, your background doesn’t check out or your immigration circumstances are shady (like you have no papers). Usually it is because of your home country being difficult. Norway has to apply to get your records from every country you have lived in. If those countries are difficult then the process will take longer. It always takes longer if you are from a country with requires you to have a visa to enter the Schengen Area. It is because Norway isn’t just responsible for you to enter Norway but all of Europe.