If you have completed a Norwegian education and are a skilled worker (faglært), you can apply for a residence permit as a job seeker in order to stay in Norway and look for a relevant job. This permit is valid for a maximum of one year. While you are searching, you can work – both full-time and part-time, including in unskilled jobs. You must apply before your current permit expires. Once you have a specific job, you switch to a residence permit for skilled workers. UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet, the state body that processes applications for residence in Norway) is the one that decides the application.
Who can get a job-seeker permit for new graduates?
You can get a residence permit as a job seeker if you are a skilled worker (faglært) and have just completed an education in Norway. You qualify if you currently hold a residence permit as a student (university, university college, vocational college or upper secondary school), a permit for supplementary education to get your education approved, or a permit as a researcher. The rules are set out in the Immigration Regulations (utlendingsforskriften) § 6-29.
Being a "skilled worker" (faglært) means that you have a completed education that gives qualifications employers need – for example a completed degree from a university or university college, or a completed three-year vocational upper secondary education.
This permit is made for you who have studied in Norway. If you are a skilled worker from abroad and have not studied here, other rules apply – see the guide on job-seeker visa for skilled workers.
Requirements and documents
To get the permit, you must be able to support yourself during the period you are looking for work. As of July 2026, you must have at least 28 448 kroner per month, that is 341 373 kroner per year (the rates apply from 6 July 2026). If you have been a doctoral candidate, the requirement is lower: 85 344 kroner. The money must usually be your own and be in a Norwegian bank account. Because the amounts change, you should check UDI's pages again on the day you apply.
You usually need:
- a valid passport or other travel document,
- documentation that you have completed your education (diploma or confirmation),
- documentation that you meet the money requirement (subsistence, underhold).
How to apply – step by step
You apply online through UDI's application portal, and you must apply before your current permit expires. UDI recommends that you apply at least one month before the permit expires.
- Register the application in the application portal at udi.no and pay the fee.
- Upload your documents (passport, diploma and documentation of funds).
- Book and attend an appointment with the police or an application centre to hand in documents and give fingerprints.
- Wait for an answer. While the application is being processed, as a general rule you cannot work – unless you still hold a valid permit that gives you the right to do so. Only once the permit as a job seeker has been granted can you work (including full-time and part-time in unskilled jobs). An early work start while you wait applies only to a skilled-worker (faglært) application where you have an employer who confirms the job and the police give confirmation – not to the job-seeker application.
While you hold the permit, you can work full-time or part-time, including in unskilled jobs, at the same time as you look for a relevant skilled job.
Time, duration and fee
The permit as a job seeker is granted for a maximum of one year, and it cannot be renewed beyond this. This is longer than the ordinary job-seeker permit of six months for skilled workers who have not studied in Norway.
The fee for a residence permit for work is 6 300 kroner for applicants over 18 years (as of July 2026, applies from 6 July 2026). This amount also changes, so check the current rate when you apply.
Important: The time you hold the job-seeker permit does not count towards a permanent residence permit. The time only starts to count when you switch to a residence permit for skilled workers.
How to move from job seeker to a residence permit for skilled workers
Once you have a specific job, you apply for a residence permit for skilled workers. To get this permit, you must have a concrete offer of work from one employer in Norway. The employer must confirm the offer before you can send the application. The job must require skilled qualifications, and you must have the qualifications the job requires.
Some important requirements:
- The position must usually be full-time. If the position is at least 80 percent, UDI approves it.
- The pay must not be poorer than what is normal in Norway for the occupation. Without a collective agreement, UDI's rates for 2026 are at least 624 700 kroner per year before tax for positions that require a master's degree, and at least 545 400 kroner per year before tax for positions that require a bachelor's degree. For positions based on a trade certificate (fagbrev), the pay must follow the collective agreement or what is the usual wage for the occupation. (The rates apply from 6 July 2026.)
If you receive a job offer before UDI has answered your job-seeker application, you can convert the application into an application for a residence permit for skilled workers. This is free of charge in the application portal, and you keep your place in the queue.
The residence permit for skilled workers is usually granted for up to three years at a time when the education is a degree from a university or university college, and for up to one year at a time when it is based on three-year vocational upper secondary education. After three years of continuous residence as a skilled worker, you can usually apply for a permanent residence permit. Read more in the guide on residence permit for skilled worker.
Common pitfall: applying too late
The most common mistake is waiting too long. You must apply for the job-seeker permit before your current study permit expires. If you apply after the permit has expired, you may lose the right to stay and work in Norway while you wait. So set a reminder in good time, and apply at least one month before the permit expires.
Good preparation makes the transition easier. Start applying for jobs before you finish your studies, and have a Norwegian CV and application ready – see the advice in Norwegian CV, application and interview.
Where do you get help?
You will find correct and updated information from UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet), which processes all applications for residence. At udi.no you will find the application portal, checklists for documents and the current rates for money, fee and pay. If you have questions about a specific case, you can contact UDI directly. Because requirements and amounts change, you should always check the official pages before you apply.
