Norway to spend much more on citizenship processing in 2021

The government of Norway has announced a proposal – by the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security – for increasing the capacity for processing of Norway citizenship applications in 2021 though the allocation of over NOK 61.5 million for the same.

As per the proposal, the Norwegian government will be strengthening the first line of police, making it possible to process an increased number of applications for the citizenship of Norway.

For 2021, while the allocation for the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration [UDI] has been proposed to be increased by NOK 25 million, the allocation for the police will be increased by NOK 36.5 million.

The Press Release by the Ministry also explains that due to the COVID-19 pandemic the front line of the police has had less processing capacity than usual. Application processing for the citizenship of Norway begins with a registration with the police.

A longer processing time had come about with the increase in case volume as well as COVID-19 infection control measures. As per the Ministry, the proposal by the government will strengthen the capacity for handling more cases.

From January 2020, the citizens of Norway have been permitted to hold dual citizenship, leading to an increase in the number of Norwegian citizenship applications consequently.

For 2020-2022, a total increase of 60,000 Norwegian citizenship applications is expected.

As per the official statistics on immigration – published on October 6, 2020 – by the UDI, a total of 1,108 applications had been lodged between January- September this year for the citizenship of Norway.

In 2020	Applications submitted for Norwegian citizenship
January	226
February	176
March	99
April	35
May	39
June	60
July	132
August	207
September	134
TOTAL	1,108

Of the total 1,108 applications submitted, while 695 were filed by male applicants, with 520 being adults; another 413 citizenship applications were filed by female applicants, with 309 adults.

Residents of Norway with a different nationality can become the citizens of Norway through the naturalization process after having lived in Norway for a total of 7 years in the previous 10 years.

In order to be eligible for acquiring Norwegian citizenship, the applicant must qualify for permanent residence in Norway and also not hold a criminal record.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate Overseas, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

If you found this blog engaging, you may also like …

Norway opens borders for seasonal agricultural workers