Every year, the states of the Scandinavian Peninsula attract more and more migrants from different regions. In particular, Norway. The citizenship of this country is the dream of millions. The reason for this interest will be discussed in the article.
Why?
Norwegians dream of obtaining citizenship from the Middle East, as well as representatives of the most stable states with developed economies (USA and Western Europe). The vast majority of potential immigrants expect to be in the Scandinavian state for a rather long time.
Migrants are attracted not only by the rich cultural heritage and monuments of the Viking era, but also by their high economic development, a decent level of social security and population profitability. Unlike a number of educational institutions in Europe, Norwegian universities provide high-quality free higher education to citizens and foreigners.
Work
People from other countries who moved to permanent residence successfully find work (most often at fish factories and oil platforms), open their own business, and even acquire real estate.
All this contributes to obtaining Norwegian citizenship, but there are several obstacles that interfere with the fulfillment of the dream of those who wish.
Two barriers
According to official statistics, every year only 5% of those with the right to apply for a Norwegian passport take this opportunity.
Unlike other states of the Scandinavian peninsula, dual citizenship is prohibited here. Norway will remain closed to Russians. Another obstacle is an extremely difficult test for knowledge of the Norwegian language and history. Even after a long stay, not everyone decides to take such a step.
Citizenship
According to the Law on Citizenship, in 2018, the following methods of obtaining Norwegian citizenship are relevant:
- By birth right: children born in the territory of Scandinavia are entitled to citizenship. However, the fact of birth in a northern European country does not give such a guarantee.
- By right of blood: if at least one parent is a citizen of the kingdom, the child becomes a citizen of Norway.
- Naturalization: entry into citizenship of one's own free will, subject to all conditions.
Naturalization
Obtaining Norwegian citizenship for Russians (and immigrants from other countries) is a difficult process, but still it is real. You can become a citizen after 7 years of official stay from the last 10. A migrant must have a residence permit.
The Kingdom only in special cases includes citizens of other countries as a subject. The procedure is governed by the Law on Citizenship. A passport can be provided subject to the following conditions:
- The migrant has a valid permanent residence permit or fulfills all the requirements to obtain this document: he has been living in Norway for more than 3 years with a residence permit, has not been prosecuted and has actively attended Norwegian language courses.
- A valid passport is available. Exceptions may be cases of refugees from places of hostilities. These often lack documents. As well as citizens who for various reasons do not have the opportunity to restore a passport in their homeland. In these cases, any other identity document is allowed.
- Reached 12 years of age. The exceptions are: children who are entitled to citizenship with their parents, whose parents already had citizenship.
- A person lived in Norway for 10 years, 7 of which - under residence permits (one of them must be longer than a year). Sometimes there may be exceptions. For example, when it comes to reuniting with close relatives or with the family.
- An applicant from the age group of 18–55 years must have with him documents proving knowledge of the Sami or Norwegian language or a certificate of completion of 300-hour training courses in the Norwegian language.
- No convictions, fines, or facts of forced psychiatric treatment for committing criminal offenses were found (if there are any, a ban is imposed on the granting of Norwegian citizenship, the duration of which is determined depending on the gravity of the crime).
- A document confirming the renunciation of citizenship in favor of another country is provided. A document is required if the legislation of the native country does not provide for the automatic recognition of a passport as invalid. There are cases when the Law on Citizenship avoids this: war, political persecution, the duration of the procedure for more than a year, or denial of deprivation of citizenship.
As part of naturalization, there is the possibility of reducing the time spent continuously in the kingdom:
- if we are talking about obtaining Norwegian citizenship through marriage to a citizen of the kingdom, the period is reduced to 3 years;
- a child from 12 to 18 years old personally submits an application for the granting of citizenship, regardless of the citizenship of the parents - up to 5 years;
- the shortest period is up to 2 years, it is intended for minors (up to 18), provided that one of the parents has a Norwegian passport.
How is the period of residence considered
There are several nuances that count down the length of stay (settled) in the kingdom. In the standard procedure, the time spent on the territory of the state is counted from the moment of entry if the migrant is issued a residence permit before entering the country or if he is a citizen of another Scandinavian state.
The deadline starts from the moment you apply for a residence permit, if one was received after visiting a coastal country (Norway is one of them).
An informal stay during the period of settlement is not counted. The period between the expiration of one permit and the issuance of another does not count. During the year, no more than 60 days in the country are allowed, otherwise days will be deducted from the total period.
In other cases, the calculation is carried out:
- from the first day of registration in the registry office;
- from the date of registration with the police;
- from the day of confirmation of entry with another document.
Blood right
Norwegian citizenship can be acquired by a child, one of whose parents is a citizen of the kingdom. Place of birth does not matter. Starting September 1, 2006, the child becomes a citizen, even if the marriage is not officially registered. That is, if the father has a Norwegian passport, the child automatically receives citizenship.
And also citizenship “passes” to the newborn and from the Norwegian mother (according to the law of January 1, 1979).
Birthright
Native Norwegian citizenship is entitled to children born in a Scandinavian country. However, the birth of a North European state does not give such guarantees.
Scandinavia includes countries such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The list of countries belonging to the Northern Europe region is much wider. It includes the mentioned “Scandinavian troika” and the states historically associated with it: Iceland and Finland (together with the autonomous Swedish-speaking province of Åland Islands).
That is, a child born in Norway, Sweden or Denmark can obtain citizenship. If we are talking about Finland or Iceland, there are no guarantees.
For all these countries, the flag depicts a Scandinavian cross shifted to the left, because often these countries are called Scandinavia, which is a mistake. The figure first appeared on the Danish flag (“Dannenbrog”).
Investment Citizenship
Norwegian citizenship is not granted in a simplified manner when investing in the economy or in the development of enterprises. But with a sufficiently large amount or by purchasing residential real estate as a permanent residence, the authorized bodies can provide a residence permit that does not require an extension. Obtaining citizenship will still be possible only after 10 years.
Obtaining a residence permit
One of the features of Scandinavia is the comprehensive development of information technology. In order to ensure maximum convenience for all immigrants in the kingdom, the Internet resource of the Department for Foreigners operates.
Everyone can find information on how to obtain Norwegian citizenship. For Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, as well as immigrants from other countries, several options for obtaining a residence permit are popular: employment, business, education and returning to their origins.
Employment
This approach involves a preliminary search for a job in the Norwegian labor market and an agreement with the employer. A residence permit is issued for a period of 1 to 3 years.
In some cases, when the labor activity is seasonal (up to 3 months), the issuance of a document is optional. This amendment applies to doctors, journalists, athletes and employees of international companies.
Business
Entrepreneurs from other countries have the right to create a company in the kingdom and engage in business development. A residence permit is issued in order to develop their business. It’s easier for Europeans, and people from the CIS countries, including Russians, will have to comply with a number of requirements.
For example, an enterprise must have a long-term development prospect and generate income of at least € 25,000 per year (almost 2 million Russian rubles). Moreover, a foreigner can work only in his company in a highly qualified position, confirmed by a diploma or experience. In this case, consideration of the application for residence permit will be from 2 months to 1 year.
Education
Migrants who come to study are also thinking about how to obtain Norwegian citizenship for Russians. As mentioned above, a foreigner has the right to study at any university in the country for free. Staying on the territory of Norway in order to obtain knowledge for a period of more than 3 months means obtaining a residence permit. You will need to pay a mandatory fee of 60 € per semester (4 605 r).
Large expenses will be associated with food and housing. In total, this amount will be about 1000 €. The student has the right to get a job and engage in labor activities up to 20 hours a week and a full day on vacation in order to be able to provide for himself. An application for a residence permit is considered 4-6 weeks.
Return to the roots
Obtaining Norwegian citizenship for Russians (as well as for immigrants from other countries) in order to reunite with their families is not an easy task. The following categories of migrants can exercise the right to obtain a residence permit:
- husband and wife;
- a bride or groom with a strong intention to register their marriage within six months;
- cohabitants who have lived together for at least 2 years or have been expecting a baby;
- children under 18 years of age (sometimes older) who are dependent due to health problems;
- dependent parents over 60;
- other categories of relatives under special conditions are considered privately.
Total
Summing up, it should be said that obtaining Norwegian citizenship by marriage is the most common option. Everything happens relatively quickly and not too expensive.
But the exam in the Norwegian language does not go away. Things are even more complicated with these issues when it is required to transport elderly parents from another country to the kingdom. The requirements for candidates for reunion with relatives are very strict:
- to provide disabled relatives, a citizen must have an income of 256.3 thousand kroons per year;
- during the last year a migrant does not receive any social payments from the state;
- a married couple without a clear intention to live further in the kingdom may be refused;
- a person must have a fairly large living space to accommodate their loved ones.
All this is very strict, but justified. Therefore, if a migrant has a desire to move to Norway, he should closely address the issue of obtaining Norwegian citizenship. For Russian citizens, the previously described scheme is no exception.