norwegianbelle

[norwegianbelle]

So, you want to move to Norway? Here’s a master list to the immigration process (brought to you by someone who has actually done it.)

Immigrating from America to Norway has been a topic of discussion for as long as I can remember, but especially since 2016. The standards of living, the social safety nets, and healthcare are most brought up when comparing the two countries, but let’s be realistic here: Is moving to Norway a solid choice? Is it even possible? We will go over all the details past the cutoff.

This master list will go over every possible route towards immigrating specifically to Norway. Before making this final decision, you need to consider Norwegian culture, politics, the language, and everything else that goes with moving to a different country and see if it fits with your lifestyle. You should consider prior moves you’ve made and think about how that effected you, and why it had that effect. I say this because many people in America tend to romanticize moving to any Scandinavian country, but never stop to think about the fact that it’s a completely different environment than from America. I will discuss more about this later, but please, do your own research to make sure that Norway is a good fit for you and your needs.

You should also consider what it is you will have to leave behind in order to move to a different country, both logistically and emotionally. Will you have to sell a house? A car? Is your pet legal in Norway? (Pitbulls are a banned breed in Norway.) Can you afford to have your stuff shipped to another country? When I moved, I left behind everything except for two suitcases full of clothes. Is this something you’re willing to do? Are you willing to say goodbye to friends and family for a while? Really consider what it is you will be doing. If you’re looking for a good place to start with researching, shoot me an ask. With that, let’s get into the nitty gritty!

Firstly, all information one should look into about the routes of legal immigration into Norway is the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (A.K.A. UDI). Here, you can see what documents will be necessary for your stay and, therefore, what you need to be doing to get in. It is important to note that immigration laws are constantly changing, so what might be accurate now, may not be later. The UDI website will absolutely always have the most up-to-date information so you can choose the best course of action. All of this information provided will be assuming that you are one person, with no children and are from America (outside of EU/EEA).

1. Family Immigration

This is the route I took. It is also one of the easiest routes (in my opinion) to immigrating to Norway. Family immigration covers a vast amount of different situations, but all of them have the same feature: You have ties with someone who already has a right to be in Norway. This can be your spouse who got a work permit, children with at least one Norwegian parent at birth, or even if you just plan on “cohabitation” with a Norwegian.

This route of immigration will usually require a “reference person” which is the person who has a right to be in Norway that you have ties to. You will have to provide substantive documentation to prove relationships. I had to submit photos of my husband and I, as well as give wedding information. Cohabitants have to provide documentation that they have lived together at least two years prior together. There may be other requirements, so check with UDI to see what is needed of you or your reference person for this.

For spouses, your reference person will need to be making 300 000 NOK / year and can not have accepted help from NAV in the past year. This is to ensure that they can take care of both of your needs financially because the reality will be that you won’t be working for a while. You and your spouse will need to submit the proper documentation listed in the checklist by UDI.

2. Work

Working in Norway is a legitimate and easy way to enter the country. The real kicker, however, is actually landing a job. Unless you work in an field that highly in demand (mainly the health sector), you will have a very difficult time finding a job that will hire you if you can’t speak the language. If you’re a skilled worker with several years of experience in your field, you may fare better, but overall, Norwegian companies aren’t interested in sponsoring immigrants unless they bring something incredibly valuable to the table. As someone who has moved here, with a degree and five years of experience in my field, I have struggled to find employment due to the language barrier.

I am not saying it isn’t doable. If you’re a nurse, you can probably get something going as the healthcare sector is in desperate need of workers in Norway, but someone who has worked in fast food or retail their whole life will struggle.

3. School

Many people want to travel to Norway because of their high quality, low cost higher education. It’s a great opportunity to see the country, travel, and basically pay nothing. Well, as most things, this is easier said than done.

Most of the bigger schools in Norway (University of Bergen, University of Oslo, Nord University) offer courses in English. These are usually very limited, though, and are often highly competitive because of the limited availability. Application deadlines for these schools are usually around the same time as applying in America. Most deadlines close in the fall/winter months prior to the school year your applying for. One key factor is you will need a year of upper education to meet the Norwegian education standards for being accepted. This can be a local community college, as long as it’s properly accredited and in this system.

Another important factor is that the Norwegian government, just this year, has proposed that tuition fees be given to those that are outside the EU/EEA. This does include the United States. Unless you meet specific requirements, you will have to pay tuition fees. I believe this is to prevent people from visiting Norway for the sole purpose of getting free education and then leaving the country. It is publicly funded and people who leave the country aren’t paying into the system. So, it’s important to check that you can afford the tuition fees.

On top of the tuition fees, you must have a certain amount of money in your bank account that you could, in theory, live off of for a year while living in Norway. This amount changes each year but for 2023, it is 137 907 NOK or just shy of $13,000 USD. You can do this with Norwegian loans (Lånekassen), or by showing you have a part time job (which is all you’ll be allowed to have while on this permit), or you can have the lump sum in a Norwegian bank account before you leave.

Overall, this process is expensive and has a lot of moving parts. It is an option for a short term stay, but not a great option if you’re trying to immigrate. You could, in theory, turn this into a work permit, but again, you’d have to have a good grasp of the language.

These are the ways one could immigrate to Norway. There are not a lot of options, but immigration laws in Norway are constantly changing. When my husband and I first met back in 2017, the method we used of getting me here was not available back then. Our only means of getting me here was through the school route, and that proved hard, even without the tuition fees. It’s important that if you don’t see a method now, that you check later and see if maybe this year, UDI is doing something different. However, it’s important to note that Norway has little ways of getting in for a reason. They simply can’t let everyone in. This goes with all countries, and Norway is no exception.

As far when you’ll get answers for your application, I’ve heard various stories from various different immigrants. Most I’ve heard has been well past a year, but we got lucky and ours was approved within a week. I know it’s a big frame, but this is due to them changing systems/methods of approving applications.

As immigration laws change and new information come out, I will edit and add as necessary, but until then, I hope my list was helpful and if you have any questions, shoot me an ask and I’ll try to be as helpful as I can.

Til neste gang. Ha det bra!

[norwegianbelle]

Dear Diary - July 6th, 2023

Today, I was finally accepted into university after waiting months for their response! It’s a simple, year long Norwegian course, but it is huge! If I do well and really put effort into learning, this will be the first step I take into becoming a Norwegian citizen. I am excited and hopeful.

[norwegianbelle]

Introductions

~This is from my other website I started, but overall abandoned due to me liking tumblr a bit more. I still like what I wrote, so here it is!~

With America's independence day being tomorrow, America is on my mind. This has been the case for a while now, however. No matter where you are in the world, home will always be home. I think, however, I may getting too far ahead of myself. Let's start with introductions.

My name is Kaitlyn. I was born in Charleston, South Carolina and I am in my mid-20's. I'm right in that juicy little age range where people debate about if I'm a millennial or Gen-Z and I usually choose whichever side is cooler in the context of the conversation. You know how it goes. I don't want to give out too much personal details here because it is the internet and I am not an idiot.

I was born in Charleston, as previously mentioned, but I also was raised there, too. For those reading and don't really know what culture in Charleston was like, I'll try to paint a nifty picture for you. Charleston is home to palmetto trees and the sea breeze. It was where the American Civil War started (Fort Sumter) and it also is home to the world's largest sweet tea. No, that isn't a joke. It is actually a thing. See below:

I know it says Summerville, but any true Charlestonian (or anyone from Summerville for that matter) will tell you it's "part of the Charleston area." Charleston is very much a tourist town, through and through. Summers are the peak season for traffic jams and expensive hotel room rates, but this is because the weather is perfect for going to the beach. Which, wouldn't you know, Charleston has one nearby (Isle of Palms.) That mixed in with the vigorous bar scene, it makes for the perfect destination for bachlor(ette) parties and people from Ohio to vacation at.

It is by no means perfect, however. Because of Charleston being such a big tourist town, many city funds go into taking advantage of the boom in the summers. Corrupt politicians make life hard for those without that live on the peninsula and even further inland. North Charleston has one of the highest crimes rates in America and it is very evident when moving past the area why that is: dilapidated houses, homeless people baking in the hot summer heat, potholes in roads that will permanently damage your car even if you are paying attention and can't avoid it. It is ruthless for those who were dealt a shitty hand, with the average rent being just shy of $2,000. And, lucky me, I was dealt an excessively shitty hand.

Despite the title of this, I won't be delving too deep. Just know that I've seen all the worst sides of America and how broken it is. Maybe as time goes on and in proper contexts, I'll give more details, but for now...

During what I like to call my "Growth Period," (Ya know, like an insane person) I met my now husband. He and I met on an online mobile game if you could believe it! We connected immediately and I knew within a few weeks he would be the one I would marry. And I was right! He took a bit more convincing, however. This was back in 2017, and he didn't propose until 2020. It was very cute. Over a voice call and everything (don't worry, ladies, he did a proper one later.)

After he proposed, we started looking into ways to get me to Norway. Given that my life in America wasn't great and my husband had family in Norway, we decided our best chance for a good life together was there. It took a while, especially with COVID, but finally, in December of 2022, the day after Christmas, I made landfall in Bergen (It was supposed to be on Christmas, but my flight in Detroit got cancelled. Cheers to that winter storm. I hate you.)

Coming to Norway was a huge change. there were a lot of different things happening. I was so used to being independent and relying on myself and then suddenly, I had to rely strictly on my husband. Not because that's what he wanted, but because I literally couldn't work. I suddenly went from having to do everything, to doing nothing and it was a jarring change. I also had to get used to the drastically different weather. Did you know that in Charleston it has snowed twice in, like, 20 years? Yeah, that was a big change.

Now, I'm here. Six months later and still doing nothing. Except writing about it. That's why I think I started this. To feel like I am actually doing something with my time that may be impactful to someone, somewhere. I feel like in America, moving to any Scandinavian country is romanticized. I've seen it all over social media, and I have to say that it was not at all what I expected. I expected the move here to solve all my problems, but they reality was I now had no distractions. I had to face my problems instead of just trying to focus on surviving and that's the one of the hard parts they don't tell you about. This blog will essentially be my online diary as I maneuver a very difficult change. I'll post recipes, journal entries, life updates to anyone who cares. I'll give some actual insight into what living here is like. Not the sparkly bullshit the vacationers try to sell you. Coming from a tourist town, I am intimately aware that living in a place is much different than visiting, and Norway is no exception.

I mentioned earlier how home will always be home. And I stand by that. I do find myself missing some parts of America. It is by no means perfect, but I miss the familiarity of it all. I miss how I could tell people where to go to find a good taco or where the nearest gas station was. I miss how I was easily able to navigate conversations with strangers because I knew what was culturally appropriate to talk about. I miss fried chicken.

That's not to say that Norway is all doom and gloom. There are perks to living here that you've probably heard of like good healthcare, good food and produce, wonderful scenery. It is a wonderful place, I just have a lot more to go off with America than I do here. I hope that in the coming years, I'll find myself feeling more at home here in Norway than in America.

Until next time! Happy 4th, America! Hope you enjoy your endless fireworks and BBQ's in the backyard!

[norwegianbelle]

First post! Hello, Tumblrverse.

I have been an avid user of Tumblr for many years and I have always used it to it’s fullest shitposting capabilities. Recently, however, as my life has changed drastically, I wanted to share my experience with a community I have grown to love and feel accepted by.

I wanted to start this blog for many reasons, all listed in my about me page, so I won’t go about repeating it every five minutes. It is important to me to share my experience, because in America, Scandinavian countries are highly romanticized due to their higher standards of living and how happy the people are here in comparison to it’s American competitor. I wanted to shed some light on what actually being in Norway is like, and hopefully allow people to make more informed decisions about moving.

Fair warning for this blog: I suffer from a slew of mental health disorders that I will go into later in an aptly marked posted with a cutoff point for those who want to scroll without being triggered. This will (and has) skewed my perception of moving, without a doubt. So, please bear this in mind as you read through my content. Another thing is this is absolutely a safe space for all people. No matter race, gender orientation, etc, you are accepted here and welcome here.

All posts will be tagged accordingly so site navigation is easy and people find exactly what they are looking for. I am sure immigration will be the biggest thing, and there is a tag dedicated to just immigration info. I plan on making a master post in the future.

I do hope you will join me on my journey! I am very excited to get started and share everything.

Til neste gang! Ha det bra!