When contacted, the UDI (Norwegian Directorate of Immigration) told The Local they are "aware" of the long waiting times and briefly outlined their plans to resolve the backlog.
However, for many readers who expressed their desperation about being in an endless loop of checking their emails daily, waiting for an answer that never seems to arrive, this is not a concrete solution.
At The Local, we wanted to find out what the numbers really show, cutting through the bureaucratic noise to reveal what the international community is facing in 2026.
READ MORE: ‘We are aware’: Norway's UDI responds to criticism over residency permit delays
The reality of the 2026 backlog
The data given to The Local Norway from the UDI in late April 2026 is startling.
The scale of the backlog is clear when looking at the duration of pending applications, as for many, the wait is no longer a matter of months, but years.
The numbers back up what our readers have told us, describing the impossibility of planning their futures, securing a job, or even travelling abroad while their lives depend on the response from the authorities.
As the figures show, family immigration cases make up the largest group.
There are 10,823 family immigration applications awaiting a response. Of these, 3,651 families have been waiting between one and two years, while 504 people have surpassed the two-year mark without knowing if they will be allowed to live legally with their loved ones.
READ MORE: 'I'm a prisoner': Foreigners in Norway left unable to work or travel as they wait for UDI
This means that over 38 percent of those waiting for family reunification have been in the queue for more than 12 months.
Within the total pool, 2,882 applicants have been waiting for up to a year and counting, while the remainder fall under the six-month mark.
The situation for Skilled Workers is equally frustrating. Out of 779 people currently waiting, 278 have already surpassed the one-to-two-year mark, with 83 waiting more than two years.
Student visas currently have the fewest active applicants (244 pending cases). However, there are still outliers: five cases have been waiting between one and two years, and three for more than two.
While most students receive a response within 12 months, those stuck in the backlog find it almost impossible to advance in their careers and often have to look for opportunities in other countries.
The outlook for permanent residency is also difficult. Out of 5,515 pending applications, around 44 percent (2,438 people) have been waiting between one and two years, while 312 have been waiting for more than two years.
As our survey previously revealed, this generates a severe impact on people who have already been living in Norway for years. These delays can effectively pause the lives they have worked so hard to build in the country, in some cases even forcing them to start over from scratch.
READ MORE: 'It’s a joke': Foreigners in Norway warn against trusting UDI wait times
Stable numbers
The UDI's figures showed that the number of applications has remained relatively stable over the last few years, suggesting that the backlog isn't due to a sudden surge, but a systemic slowdown within the processing framework.
According to UDI data from 2021 to 2025, family reunification applications have averaged nearly 17,000 annually, with some fluctuations over the years. While 2022 saw the biggest volume (19,349), 2025 remained high at 17,852.
The lowest point was in 2024, with 14,045 applications.
Other categories showed a similar steady flow.
Skilled worker visas average around 9,000 annually, student visas hover at 4,700, and permanent residency applications average about 4,300.
For many, these steady figures can heighten the sense of what they describe as a digital irony, raising the inevitable question: How is this possible in 2026?
In a country where nearly all public services are digital, foreigners argue that waiting 18 to 24 months for a residency decision seems less like a technical problem and more like a choice.
As a 40-year-old respondent to our survey concluded: "The waiting time is completely unreasonable. There are no processes in 2026 that should take this long when everything is digitised."
Do you have a specific question for the UDI, or is there a particular aspect you would like us to investigate further? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
READ MORE: 'I am powerless': How waiting for answers from Norway's UDI impacts lives
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