Apply for a Residence Permit and Work in Norway

You can apply for a residence permit and work in Norway!

Have you thought about the option of living and working in Norway? Here are a few reasons why you might want to make up your mind and work in Norway:

1. Norway has one of the world’s highest standards of living, so it is a very attractive country to live and work in. Employees enjoy a high degree of gender equality and a good work–life balance.
2. The Norwegian business sector is technologically advanced and quick to adopt new technology. Norway has long been an innovative country, and has specialist expertise in areas such as oil and gas, energy, the maritime sector and seafood.
3. Norway is a safe, peaceful country with good welfare systems and a constructive, well-regulated employer–employee relationship. A flat organisational structure with a high degree of transparency and good opportunities for employee participation is typical of Norwegian workplaces. The workforce is highly qualified.
4. If you are worried about language, English is widely spoken in Norway, although fluency in Norwegian is a big advantage when applying for jobs.

So, if you would like to live and work in Norway, we have gathered useful information for you.

There are various ways to move successfully to Norway but we are only going to talk about the Residence Permit for Work. To relocate to Norway from Nigeria and be able to work, you need to apply for a Residence Permit for Work. However, the easiest – and possibly the only – way to get this permit is if you already have a job from an employer in Norway. (Still with us?)

Here are different ways you can apply for a job in Norway…

Virtually all jobs in Norway are posted online. But first, what kind of skilled workers stand the most chance of getting a job from abroad?

This depends largely on the Norwegian job market. Petroleum currently accounts for around 9% of jobs in the country. To do some vague maths here, it means that one out of every 11 people is doing something petroleum-related. So, if petroleum is your field, you likely stand a very good chance. Furthermore, there is particular demand for skills in nursing, medicine, tourism, engineering, the fishing industry, building and construction, IT and communications, and digital media. However, prepare to face stiff competition from Norwegians and job seekers from other European countries. Think you can sail through? That’s the African spirit!

Some of the websites where you can find Norwegian jobs online include:

Target Jobs

Europa.eu

Finn.no

NAV job database – this is the most comprehensive site. It is in Norwegian but you can translate to English using Google Translate

Residence permit

After getting a job, you can apply for a residence permit in order to live and work in Norway. The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) normally processes applications for a residence permit.

First, you must…

Gather the necessary documentation

You must gather all the relevant documents. Browse the UDI website to find all necessary documents for a successful residence permit application. You will provide some of the documents for yourself. Others will be provided by your contact organisation in Norway. Contact the UDI for guidance.

Online registration and payment

Before you can hand in your passport and other documentation at the embassy, consulate or VFS-office, you must register your application in the Application Portal. If this is the first time that you are registering an application in the portal, you will first need to create a user account.

Click here to register your application.

Once you have registered, you will receive confirmation by email, with a cover letter attached. The cover letter will confirm that you have filled in the application form and paid the fee. You need to print this letter and submit it together with the other required documentation.

Application fees

You will have to pay some fees to complete your application. Visit the UDI website for information about the fees.

In Nigeria, applications are received through the external service provider VFS Global, which charges a service fee. The VFS service fee to be paid at the Application Centre is N10,350.

Handing in the documents

You must bring all the documents listed in the checklist along with you to the Application Centre. You will find a link to the checklist in the email that is sent when you have registered your application in the Application Portal. Your application will then be sent on to UDI for processing.

You can hand in the application at VFS Application Centre without any prior appointment. For more information about VFS, please refer to the VFS website.

If you want to apply, you have to register your application and pay the fee before you can come to the VFS office.

Where to submit residence permit application:

Your will submit your application at the VFS office in Abuja or Lagos. [http://www.vfsglobal.com/norway/nigeria/index.html]

Applications for a residence permit are processed by the UDI (The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration). Check the website for the processing time.

Result

You will be notified by email or telephone when your application has been processed.

The result can be picked up at the Visa Application Centre or at the embassy, where the application was submitted. If you are requested to come to the embassy, you will need to schedule an appointment. Opening hours for passport pick up are Monday-Thursday from 1.30 pm-3.30 pm and Friday from 11 am-12 pm. 

If you have been granted a residence permit, a sticker will be placed in your passport to allow you to travel to Norway. The embassy/consulate will contact you to inform when you can collect your passport.

On arrival

When you cross the border into the Schengen area, you will have to present:

• your passport with the entry visa sticker
• documentation showing the purpose of your stay

Once you know when you will be arriving in Norway, you need to make an appointment with the police in order to obtain a residence card. You must pre-book this appointment, normally through the Application Portal, and the appointment has to be either during the first seven days you are in Norway, or the first available appointment you can find.

So, there you go! The process looks a bit daunting but it’s worth it in the end. In that case, we trust you to face up to the challenge.

Good luck!

Also Read: Your Ultimate Checklist of Items for Moving to Canada