As a refugee or immigrant in Norway, you may need some assistance in finding your first job in Norway or to get a place in the education system. There are special courses designed to qualify you for the job market or for further studies. From this page, you can move on to relevant information on one or the other.

But first: If you have secondary or higher education from abroad, click here to find out how you can have it recognised.

There is a variety of qualification programs to choose from to qualify for certain jobs or further education while you are learning Norwegian.

Click here for more information on Norwegian courses.
To find which programs are offered in your urban district (bydel), click here.
NAV (the employment office) can also assist you in finding relevant courses. Looking for a job?

Norwegian language classes free of charge - new regulations
For immigrants who receive their first residence permit after 1 September 2005, new regulations apply.

For immigrants who have received a permit before 1 September 2005, the old regulations apply until 1 September 2010. These regulations you can read more about below.

The following groups have the right to free tuition:

• Immigrants with Norwegian citizenship
• Refugees and persons granted residence on humanitarian grounds
• Immigrants with a residence and work permit granted before 1 January 2003
• Persons with a permit for family reunification with a member of the groups mentioned above.
• Asylum seekers under 18 years of age
• Asylum seekers who have been granted a residence permit, but who are still staying in reception centres (mottak) while awaiting municipal settlement.
• Persons with a permit for family reunification with a Norwegian citizen.
  
  
  Persons with a permit for family reunification with a citizen from one of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden) may in some cases have the right to free tuition.

The following groups do not have the right to free tuition:

• Citizens of EU/EEA countries with a residence permit according to EEA/EFTA regulations, regardless of when the permit was granted (Laminated card)
• Asylum seekers
• Persons with a student residence permit
• Citizens of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden).
• Persons with a work permit granted for 3 months or less.
• Persons employed by a foreign employer on an assignment of limited duration, and their families.
• Embassy and consulate personnel, and their families.
• Persons with a first permit to work granted after 1 January 2003, and their families
• Au pairs with a permit granted after 1 January 2003
• Persons with a specialist work permit granted after 1 January 2003
  

Note that the new regulations apply to the original permit granted to reside and work in Norway.
Note also that cohabitants who have lived together for 2 years or more may apply for a family reunification permit on the same grounds as married couples.Persons with a permit for family reunification with a citizen from a Nordic country (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden) may in some cases have the right to free tuition.

Oslo Adult Education Centre offers Norwegian classes to those groups that have lost the right to free tuition. Other Norwegian courses with a course fee in Oslo - click here.

Documentation
To receive free Norwegian tuition, you must document that you have a residence permit that applies. Such documentation includes travelling documents (passport or similar), or documents issued by the Immigration authorities (police). In some cases it may be necessary to show the actual decision that the residence/work permit is based on (from the police, the Directorate of Immigration, or the Immigration Appeals Board).
To see some examples of valid documentation, click here.

New EU countries
Citizens from the new member countries that joined the European Union in May 2004 have lost the right to free tuition - unless they have a permit for family reunification with a Norwegian citizen or other persons who still holds the right. This applies to citizenship holders from Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia or The Czech Republic.

More information
In Oslo, more information on the new regulations for Norwegian courses, documentation requirements and course fees can be obtained from Oslo Adult Education Service centre. Telephone: 23 47 00 00, e-mail: karriere@ude.oslo.kommune.no

The new regulation can be read in full on the website of The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development. Click on the link below. Note that the information is only in Norwegian.
http://odin.dep.no/krd/norsk/regelverk/rundskriv/016081-250016/index-dok000-b-n-a.html


The Introductory programme
From 1 September 2004, newly arrived refugees are obliged to participate in the Introductory programme for refugees.

Read about the programme here >>>>

Last modified May 5. 2009