So, as you all probably know I am going through the process of getting a residence permit here since I moved to Norway. There are two different kinds of residence permits you can get here - Family Immigration or Settlement Permit. I will tell you about both residence permits eventually, but this post is about getting residence in Norway through family immigration.

As I said when I posted about getting a visa in Norway, all of this information is taken from the pamphlets I picked up at UDI in Oslo (UDI = Norwegian Directorate of Immigration). But you can also visit their site at UDI.no for more information too. This information does not apply to people from countries who are members of the EU. I will post on this at a later date.

For more information on moving to or traveling to Norway, check out these posts:

• Getting A Visa In Norway
• Getting a Settlement Permit In Norway
• Getting A Residence Permit For EU/EEA/EFTA Nationals In Norway
• Work Permits

FAMILY IMMIGRATION -

A family member living abroad is allowed to come to Norway to live with his or her family.

A permit for family immigration is primarily granted to close family members. The permit is granted for one year at a time. After three years, you may apply for a settlement permit.

Close family members are:

• A spouse and registered partner
• Cohabitants who have lived together for at least two years
• Children under 18 years of age

Other family members who may be granted a permit to reside in Norway are:

• A cohabitant with whom the person living in Norway has or is expecting a child (even if they have not been living together for at least two years).
• A person intending to enter into marriage with a person residing in Norway within six months after entry into Norway
• Single mother or father over 60 without any close relatives in their country of origin
• Unmarried, supported children over 18 years of age with special care needs or without caregivers in their country of origin
• Full siblings under 18 years of age without a mother, father or other caregiver in their country of origin or country of residence and with no mother and father in another country
• Other family members, when strong humanitarian considerations warrant it

Requirements that must be met before you can be granted family immigration:

• As a general rule, the applicant must be ensured subsistence in Norway. The subsistence requirement (i.e. income requirement) is equal to the pay scale 1 of the national pay scale. As of May 1, 2007 this corresponds to an income of NOK 182,400 annually before taxes. The amount is adjusted annually. For an update see the UDI’s website or contact the foreign service mission closest to you
• When the applicant is not a close family member (see above) there is also a housing requirement

Where I can apply:

Persons who wish to be reunited with a family member in Norway must as a general rule apply in the country of origin or the country in which the applicant has resided for the past six months with a work or residence permit. The applicant must submit the application in person at the nearest Norwegian foreign service mission.

The person living in Norway cannot apply for family immigration on behalf of a person or persons living abroad. Only in extraordinary cases may exceptions be made to this rule.

Documentation requirements:

• Application form with photograph
• Birth certificate
• Copy of the passport (all of the pages, including the blank ones)
• A certificate made out by the public authorities showing that you are related to the person living in Norway
• Employment contract showing the length of the employment and the amount of income. Wage slips showing the income during the last three months must also be submitted (or bank statements).
• Housing contract (proof that you have a place to live)
• Written declaration of consent (in the case of shared parental responsibility) from the other parent of a child who is coming to Norway when only one of the parents has/is obtaining a permit to reside or work in Norway. If the parent living in Norway has sole parental responsibility, documentation showing this must be submitted
• Documentation showing marital status for both the person living in Norway and the applicant when applying for a residence permit with the purpose of entering into marriage

Documentation must be submitted in the original together with a translation into Norwegian or English. Documentation requirements vary from country to country and are subject to change.

Separate rules apply to nationals from EU/EEA countries. For more information you may contact the Norwegian foreign service mission closest to you. If you are in Norway you may contact the police or the Directorate of Immigration (UDI).

All of the preceding information came from pamphlets that I picked up at Oslo’s Norwegian Directorate of Immigration

For more information on visiting or moving to Norway, check out:

• Norway - Getting A Visa
• Norway - Getting a Settlement Permit
• Norway - Getting A Residence Permit For EU/EEA/EFTA Nationals
• Norway - Work Permits