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Why fewer people are moving to Norway to be with family

Robin-Ivan Capar
Robin-Ivan Capar - [email protected]
Why fewer people are moving to Norway to be with family
Over time, family immigration to Norway somewhat decreased since the peak years registered in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Photo by Nihon Graphy / Unsplash

The number of people moving to Norway to be with family may, despite a recent rise, be on the decline in the long term, a report from Statistics Norway indicates.

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The entry restrictions that were introduced in Norway in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic led to low immigration levels in 2020.

However, as part of the restrictions were lifted in 2021, immigration returned to similar levels as before the pandemic, according to a recent report from Statistics Norway (SSB). The uptick can also be seen in family immigration, which increased from 2020 to 2021.

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According to the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI), people who apply for family immigration are usually the spouse, cohabitant, or child of someone who lives in Norway.

However, the report also indicated that less people are moving to Norway to be with family compared to previous years. Some 1,300 fewer people moved to Norway to be with family compared to 2019. 

A drop in family immigration compared to 2019

The national data agency points out several possible reasons for the drop in the number of registered cases of family immigration.

Over time, family immigration to Norway has decreased somewhat since the peak years in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

As Statistics Norway explains, in the period following the expansion of the European Union (EU) eastwards in the mid-2000s, there was a substantial increase in labour immigration from some of the new EU member states, especially Poland and Lithuania.

Therefore, the decline in the number of family immigrants over the past ten years is probably partly connected to the fact that the number of migrant workers has gradually decreased, thus leading to fewer family members joining them.

The number of people arriving in Norway fleeing from other countries has also decreased since the large influx of asylum seekers around 2016.

However, Norway’s statistics bureau notes that the difference in figures between 2021 and previous years is most significant for people moving to Norway to establish a family.

Immigrants from Poland, Eritrea, and India top family immigration statistics

Most family immigrants in 2021 were people with citizenship from countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA), accounting for two-thirds of family immigration to Norway.

Regardless, last year, most family immigrants to Norway came from Poland. Most of them came to the country through family reunification, so the SSB assumes that most are family members of Polish migrant workers.

Eritreans were the second largest group of family immigrants, and the third group were Indian citizens.

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Statistics Norway points out that there has been a tendency over time for fewer people to arrive in Norway from former large refugee and family immigration countries such as Somalia and Syria.

Family establishment figures

Around 2,700 people immigrated to Norway in 2021 to establish a family with a person living in Norway. Just over half of these joined an immigrant already living in Norway.

The largest single group joined Afghans. Other large groups included Eritreans, Indians, Poles, and Pakistanis.

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