Norway | Income requirement for family immigration increased

Norwegian officials announced an increase in the minimum income threshold for individuals sponsoring family members.

Key Points:

• Norwegian officials are increasing the subsistence requirement for family immigration.
• Sponsors must demonstrate an annual income of at least NOK 400,000 (about US$36,014) to meet the subsistence requirement to bring family members to Norway.
• The Ministry of Justice and Public Security is increasing the subsistence requirement by 0.5 times the National Insurance basic amount.

Additional Information: This change means that a person in Norway who wishes to bring family members to the country must, as a general rule, have an annual income of at least NOK 400,000 in order to meet the subsistence requirement. As BAL reported, Norwegian officials conversely also recently lifted the requirement that permanent resident applicants cannot have received financial assistance under the Social Services Act to provide greater access to candidates who previously were unable to qualify.

The Norwegian government announced last year that family immigration regulations would be tightened to ensure sustainable levels of arrivals. The aim of introducing stricter rules is to ensure families who want to live in Norway are self-supporting and do not need to rely on state benefits. The subsistence requirement may be further tightened in the future, according to the Minister of Justice and Public Security.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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