Tightening the rules for foreign trainees

The Government will make it easier to retrain engineersMinister of Labour and Social Affairs Anniken Hauglie (Conservative Party).Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB scanpix

The government tightens the rules on residence permits for interns from countries outside the EEA.

 

The new rules imply a tightening in terms of competence, age and duration.

“We are closing up a loophole in the regulations. The internship scheme consists, it should not be a back way into Norway’s workforce for jobs with bad conditions, “says Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Anniken Hauglie (H).

The reason for the changes is that the Immigration Directorate (UDI) has discovered cheating with applications for internships. A large number of applicants from Ukraine and Belarus were not students. In addition, there was an extensive use of false documentation.

– “The changes are necessary to prevent further abuse of the scheme. For those who are keen to find enough workforce, there is a lot of unskilled laborers both in Norway and in the EEA. But they must be paid at tariff rates,” says the minister.

Among other things, the period for how long a person may be a trainee, has been changed from two years to one year. There is also a need for higher competence, until now it has been enough to have high school. It also introduces an age limit for trainees, they must be between 18 and 30 years of age, there was no age requirements until now.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today