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How many people were given Norwegian citizenship and permanent residency last year?

The Local Norway
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How many people were given Norwegian citizenship and permanent residency last year?
Photo: AFP

Just under 13,200 people were granted Norwegian citizenship in 2019, an increase of 3,000 compared to the year before.

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The majority of the new Norwegian nationals last year came from countries in Asia and Africa, according to newly-released figures from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).

Somali citizens top last year's list, with 2,994 granted citizenship. The second-most common nationality is Eritreans citizens with 1,409 given Norwegian passports.

752 stateless people, 675 from the Philippines and 659 from Afghanistan complete the top five.

23 people from the United Kingdom became Norwegian nationals and 75 from the United States, while none were registered from Ireland, Canada, Australia or New Zealand.

Meanwhile, 119 people from Sweden, 22 Danes and 16 from Finland all became Norwegians.

READ ALSO: Norway to allow dual citizenship from 2020

The new Norwegian citizens come from about 100 different countries. More than nine out of ten applicants for citizenship were approved, according to the UDI figures.

As a general rule, seven years of legal residence are required in Norway before you can apply for Norwegian citizenship.

In addition to those who were granted Norwegian citizenship, 20,558 people from around 90 countries were granted permanent residency in Norway last year, according to figures published by the UDI. That is an increase of 6,000 compared to 2018.

For permanent residency, Syrians were the most common nationality with 7,703 permanent residence permits. Eritreans are in second place with 2,462, followed by Somalis with 1,562.

51 Australians were given permanent residency, as were 51 from Canada and 8 from New Zealand. 11 people from the UK and 218 Americans joined them.

89 percent permanent residency applications were successful, the UDI states. permit accepted the application.

Criteria for Norwegian permanent residency include at least three years’ legal residency in Norway, economic self-sufficiency, and no criminal record.

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