In order to be granted a residence permit as a specialist the following requirements need to be met:
· Your annual salary must be at least NOK 500,000.
· Your employer must submit a tax certificate for value added tax and tax, and a declaration of compliance with statutory Norwegian health, safety and the environment (HSE) requirements.
· If you are to work in a profession subject to qualification requirements (a regulated profession), you must have been approved or authorised by the relevant specialist authority for your profession. More information about which professions are regulated in Norway.
· You cannot be granted a permit as a specialist if you are to work as a religious leader/teacher or an ethnic cook, even if your salary is NOK 500,000. Religious leaders/teachers and ethnic cooks who wish to work in Norway must apply for skilled worker permits.
· You must have received a concrete offer of employment from an employer in Norway. The employment offer must state the position you will fill, your hourly wage and the number of working hours per week:
i) As a rule, you must have received an offer of full-time employment for one employer.
ii) The pay and working conditions must not be poorer than those stipulated in the current collective agreement or pay scale for the industry. If no such collective agreement or pay scale exists, the pay must be in accordance with what is normal for the place and occupation concerned.
Remember that your employer can apply for a residence permit on your behalf if you authorise him/her in writing to do so. You must complete the authorisation section of the application form or give your employer some form of written authorisation. If your employer applies on your behalf, the application must be submitted in the police district where the enterprise has its registered business address. However, if your employer is covered by the early employment scheme, he/she can apply for a residence permit for specialists on your behalf without written authorisation.
The early employment scheme
The early employment scheme means that employers who meet certain criteria can recruit labour directly and let employees start working before their application has been processed. The scheme applies to skilled workers, defined by expertise, and specialists, defined by pay. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the employee meets the conditions for being granted a permit as a skilled worker or specialist. The scheme also covers seconded employees and trainees employed by an international company.
In order to take advantage of this scheme, your employer must submit a tax certificate for value added tax and tax, and a self-declaration of compliance with statutory Norwegian HSE requirements.
Your employer can apply for a residence permit on your behalf without authorisation. If the employer submits a complete application, i.e. an application with all the necessary enclosures, and a tax certificate and self-declaration as described above, the police can issue a preliminary confirmation that you may start working before your application has been processed. The Foreign Service mission can issue you an entry visa if required, provided that the police have issued a preliminary confirmation to your employer and you are able to document your identity. Please remember to bring a copy of preliminary confirmation to the Embassy.
You must meet in person at the police district where the application was submitted within seven days of entering Norway. There, you must document your identity and confirm the application submitted by your employer. The police will then issue you a confirmation that you are entitled to work for the employer in question until your application has been processed. You can start working immediately once you have obtained this confirmation.
If you are not subject to a visa requirement to enter Norway or if you already reside legally in Norway, you can submit the application to the police or to a service centre for foreign workers. Note this is only if you are a specialist based on the offer of salary, and if you are not seeking asylum.
If the application is complete and your employer meets the requirements, the police can issue you a confirmation that you are entitled to work for the employer in question until your application has been processed. You can start working immediately after you have obtained this confirmation.
As a specialist, you are not entitled to change employers, neither during the processing of your application nor after you have been granted a residence permit, if applicable.
The police can refuse to issue a preliminary confirmation to the employer or a confirmation to you if any of the criteria are not met. You have no right of appeal.
Documentation list:
· Cover letter you received as confirmation on your e-mail (In your inbox this confirmation e-mail can sometimes appear with the title: ”application received”) (PDF attachment) after you registered your application and booked time for submitting documents at Application Portal
· Passport photo not older than three months
· Passport and copy of used pages. Please be aware that there should be at least two free pages marked “ВІЗИ / VISAS”.
· One copy of all 16 pages of the domestic passport for Ukrainian citizens and for Moldavian national identification card applies
· “Offer of Employment” from Norwegian employer (signed by yourself and your employer)
· Documentation of education/training/work experience translated into English or Norwegian
Please remember to tick of the enclosed documents in our Document list 3 and bring the list together with the documents to the Embassy.
How to apply