Who is eligible for a residence permit as a jobseeker?

• Your purpose must be to seek employment as a skilled worker or specialist in Norway.

• You must be subject to a visa requirement.

• You must be a skilled worker. The term skilled worker covers the following categories:

·         Specialist training corresponding to upper secondary education level. You must have completed vocational training for a specific occupation. The education must as a minimum correspond to upper secondary education level, i.e. at least three years. You must have achieved the same level of expertise as you would have achieved had you been educated in Norway. Examples include vocational education for plumbers or auxiliary nurses.

·         Craft certificate. The craft certificate must have resulted in the same level of expertise as a Norwegian craft certificate.

·         University college or university education. The requirement is a completed degree or study programme, e.g. a Bachelor or Master’s degree.

·         Special qualifications. You must have gained expertise through professional experience of a certain duration, alternatively in combination with other training (courses and similar). If there is a formal education in the field in question, then your level of expertise must be approximately equivalent to the level of such education. A permit is only granted on the basis of special qualifications in exceptional circumstances.

• You are not eligible for a residence permit as a jobseeker if you are to seek employment as a religious leader/teacher or an ethnic cook.

• You must have sufficient funds for the period for which you intend to stay in Norway. This must at a minimum correspond to salary grade 1 in the pay scale for Norwegian state employees, currently NOK 207.900 per year.