What you should expect in a family immigration interview in Norway
People who have close family in Norway can apply for family immigration. In some cases, authorities will request an interview with the applicant or their reference person. Here's what you should expect in such interviews.
Family immigration is a type of residence permit intended for people with close family in Norway.
As the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI) points out, those wishing to apply for a family immigration permit need to meet multiple requirements.
READ MORE: Key things to know about moving to Norway to be with family
There are separate requirements in place for both you and the person with whom you're seeking family immigration.
Furthermore, in some family immigration application cases, the authorities will request an interview with the applicant or their reference person in order to get more information or clarify some details related to the application.
Who will likely be asked to take part in an interview?
There are three main groups of people who will be requested to come in for an interview, as the UDI points out on its website.
The first group consists of all applications where the applicant has established a relationship with a Norwegian under the age of 25 or with a person under the age of 25 who already lives in Norway.
The second group includes most applications where the applicant is either stateless or from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Türkiye, Iran, Iraq, or a country in Africa – with the exception of South Africa.
The third involves a number of applications where the applicant is from Kosovo, China, Bangladesh, the Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, or Sri Lanka.
Aside from these three groups, there are also a few other cases where you might be asked to come in for an interview.
Note that, in some cases, authorities might even request a DNA test to verify a family link between the applicant and their reference person.
The time and location of the interview
If you fall into any of the above-described groups, you will be notified by e-mail or SMS and receive a summons to an interview. The notification will include information about the time and location of the interview.
If you are already in Norway, you will have to go to the police station for the interview. You can find more information on expected waiting times in your area on the police website here.
Note that the waiting times for police interviews are calculated from the date the police receive the case from the UDI. The expected processing and waiting times may change while your application is being processed.
On the other hand, if you are based abroad, the interview usually takes place at the same location where you handed in your family immigration application.
Note that, in some countries, you will be interviewed when you hand in the application.
What to expect during the interview?
During the actual interview, you will often be asked to provide the authorities with detailed information about your relationship with your reference person or the applicant.
Expect personal questions about the relationship, including follow-up questions based on the information provided in the family immigration application. For example, you could be asked to share more detail on how and when you met the person in question.
According to the UDI, you will have to bring someone to interpret for you if you do not speak Norwegian.
After the interview is over, the police will send your case back to the UDI for further processing.
Usually, you will not need to follow up with the UDI, as you will be notified by e-mail or SMS when they receive the case.
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Family immigration is a type of residence permit intended for people with close family in Norway.
As the Norwegian Directorate for Immigration (UDI) points out, those wishing to apply for a family immigration permit need to meet multiple requirements.
READ MORE: Key things to know about moving to Norway to be with family
There are separate requirements in place for both you and the person with whom you're seeking family immigration.
Furthermore, in some family immigration application cases, the authorities will request an interview with the applicant or their reference person in order to get more information or clarify some details related to the application.
Who will likely be asked to take part in an interview?
There are three main groups of people who will be requested to come in for an interview, as the UDI points out on its website.
The first group consists of all applications where the applicant has established a relationship with a Norwegian under the age of 25 or with a person under the age of 25 who already lives in Norway.
The second group includes most applications where the applicant is either stateless or from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Türkiye, Iran, Iraq, or a country in Africa – with the exception of South Africa.
The third involves a number of applications where the applicant is from Kosovo, China, Bangladesh, the Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, or Sri Lanka.
Aside from these three groups, there are also a few other cases where you might be asked to come in for an interview.
Note that, in some cases, authorities might even request a DNA test to verify a family link between the applicant and their reference person.
The time and location of the interview
If you fall into any of the above-described groups, you will be notified by e-mail or SMS and receive a summons to an interview. The notification will include information about the time and location of the interview.
If you are already in Norway, you will have to go to the police station for the interview. You can find more information on expected waiting times in your area on the police website here.
Note that the waiting times for police interviews are calculated from the date the police receive the case from the UDI. The expected processing and waiting times may change while your application is being processed.
On the other hand, if you are based abroad, the interview usually takes place at the same location where you handed in your family immigration application.
Note that, in some countries, you will be interviewed when you hand in the application.
What to expect during the interview?
During the actual interview, you will often be asked to provide the authorities with detailed information about your relationship with your reference person or the applicant.
Expect personal questions about the relationship, including follow-up questions based on the information provided in the family immigration application. For example, you could be asked to share more detail on how and when you met the person in question.
According to the UDI, you will have to bring someone to interpret for you if you do not speak Norwegian.
After the interview is over, the police will send your case back to the UDI for further processing.
Usually, you will not need to follow up with the UDI, as you will be notified by e-mail or SMS when they receive the case.
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