udi http://udi.blogg.no/ How to get a work permit in Norway no 244640 http://udi.blogg.no/ udi http://static.blogsoft.no/img/profiles/236020_profile.png http://blogsoft.no/index.bd?fa=pf.view&pf_id=97193 udi http://static.blogsoft.no/img/profiles/236020_profile.png http://udi.blogg.no/ 16.jan.2008 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:34:13 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1200503401_16jan2008.html http://udi.blogg.no/1200503401_16jan2008.html
I've gotten my arbeidstillatelse and skattekort O.K., but I'm still waiting to get a bank account, since the banks close at 3 p.m. Later I'm going to try to register for a fastlege (physician) so that I can start reaping the benefits of gratuitously affordable healthcare. Meanwhile, of course, I'm paying an exorbitant of money for health insurance in the US, since I was denied by a private provider, and have to pay the ridiculously high premiums of the state-run insurance pool.

Work is a nerve-wracking tense affair, in which I try not to make mistakes, and pretend to understand people when they inquire about things I know nothing about. I consider myself to be a competent Norwegian speaker, but at least 4 times a day, I'll run across someone (usually on the phone), who will get incredibly outraged that I didn't understand what they said the first time, or their wierd Norwegian name (no offense to Norwegian names) the first time, and can't be bothered to spell it to me. From my experience, people who lash out at non-native speakers usually have little/no experience with foreigners, have no experience being foreign, or hate foreigners. Since I'm quite culturally blind at this point, I make sense of their offensive behavior by associating them with back-country rednecks who think that having an accent means you're mentally challenged. When a certain elderly Norwegian gentleman insinuated in the most condescending way that I might be speaking a language other than Norwegian to him, I politely suggested the time had come for him to speak with another employee. I wanted to take that back. I felt like telling him that I was doing my best to help him, but that politeness is something that goes both ways.

I understand the frustration, but I don't understand the childish lashing-out.

If you're from the US and have ever called an airline or tech support, you've spoken to people at an Indian call center. I too feel that it can be an extra effort to understand some Indian accents, but if I have a problem with it, I'll take it up with United Airlines or IBM; the companies that hired them.

It's never ok to bitch someone out just because they don't understand you right away. God forbid they ever leave the country and become foreigners themselves!]]> 0 Within 7 days of your arrival Sun, 23 Dec 2007 04:46:33 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1198384877_within_7_days_of_your.html http://udi.blogg.no/1198384877_within_7_days_of_your.html Then I suppose I'll want to go get a bank account.  Apparently, giving out paper paychecks is as outdated as Americans actually writing checks... $0.99 for a pack of gum, $3.99 for some popcorn... See, checks are useful! And they often don't show up in your account for weeks.  Though I hate it when you write a check, then someone cashes it when you're completely broke. 

Can someone tell me if the likningskontor is the same as the skatteetat?  I have to report to skatteetaten within 8 days of arrival, but there is a likningskontor in my town, and I don't want to travel for an hour to get to a skatteetat.  I think both these places function as as a folkeregister (population register), so I should be able to get my personnummer or D-nummer (fake social security number for foreigners on short-term stays) there.  Then I can get my bank account. ]]> 0 Go on Sun, 23 Dec 2007 04:39:01 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1198384484_23des2007.html http://udi.blogg.no/1198384484_23des2007.html Hotel Union in Geiranger is looking for 5 serves for the summer season. 

geiranger

Oooh, how pretty!

Looking forward to going to Norway! 
]]> 0 http://i.blogg.no/400x289/http://udi.blogg.no/images/geiranger_1198384610.jpg I've been granted the privilege to work! Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:28:32 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1198094784_ive_been_granted_the_.html http://udi.blogg.no/1198094784_ive_been_granted_the_.html
But it would appear that the fine people of the UDI Opplysningstjeneste (info line) have absolutely no idea how your application is going.  That is to say, that when you call to "inquire about the status of your application," they have nothing to go on.  I say this because I called them the day they granted the permit, and they told me it had been received, but not processed at all yet.  Either I was the victim of a happy coincidence (i.e., bureaucracy functioning at the speed of light, opening and approving an application in one day), or those people have been just trying to get me off the phone.  *Gasp!*  And I thought they cared about me!

So the "permit" consists of a cover letter from the consulate, basically reiterating the original faxed letter from UDI, which is stapled underneath.  It basically says that the work permit's been granted, that my passport has to be valid for at least 2 months after the expriation of the permit, that I have to enter Norwhey within 1 month of the date on the approval letter, and that I have to go to the po-leece within 7 days of setting foot on rich Norwegian soil. 

Oh yeah, it also says: "Thanks for the $170, suckah!!!!"

Hey, UDI's got bills to pay too!  I turn to the sage American philosophy of "you gotta spend money to make money" in order to justify the dissonant concept of requiring an unemployed person to pay such a sizable job permit fee. 

 Moving on, the delightful skatteetaten has a helpful site in English for foreign workers trying to understand their taxes. 

It's nice to know that I'll automatically become a member of the nat'l insurance scheme just by entering the country on a work permit.  So long, failed US system!  And don't tell me that the US system is better, because you don't ever have to wait, and you get top-of-the-notch treatment & new technologies without fail, because nearly 50 million uninsured Americans don't have access to this "superior" medical treatment anyway.  Even the people who do have insurance don't always get the best, fastest treatment.  Pretty much the only people getting what others perceive as the best of the best all the time without fail, are the richest of the rich. 

There was a small paragraph saying that if you were already a member of your home country's national insurance scheme, your payments to the Norwegian scheme would be reduced.  I'm a member of my country's failing national insurance scam, does that count? 

It's perplexing to go through all this hassle with immigration in order to 'win' a work permit, when the real work is supposed to be actually working, right?  UDI's really upped the ante!

]]> 0 Because I said so! Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:54:12 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1197628526_because_i_said_so.html http://udi.blogg.no/1197628526_because_i_said_so.html mega-informative powerpoint shown at some UDI seminar in Bergen.  I would've liked to have been there.  Instead of trying to get a job in Norway, I should just work at UDI.  In their "Foreigner Denials" department.  Either that, or I could become an insurance agent in the dear old US of A.  Either way, I could smugly reject other people, while basking in the firm knowledge that I am invincible.  (I was going to say "untouchable," but that means something else, doesn't it).  It'd be like watching high school students suffer throught their SATs (standardized test required for college admission), knowing that that unpleasant part of my existence is over. You know, that pitiful, whiny, needy, vulnerable part.  Yes, at UDI I would be a GOD. 

I'm still at that pitiful, whiny, needy vulnerable stage.  After much wasted time fanangling with those corky fellows at the regional consulate general, and the local police station, it was impressed upon me that the only legit way to apply for a work permit as a non-EU/EEA'er, was to apply from outside of Norway.  Funny, how that fantastic powerpoint says that jeg kan fremme søknaden fra Norge.  Dealing with UDI is like having a hypocritical drunk uncle who says one thing and does another, some days treats you nicely, other days hoists you on a spit over the fire. 

Norwegian police: "Nooo, you can't apply from Norway, silly yank!"
Me: "But your website says I can.  Is there a mistake on the site?"
Norwegian police: "Sure, it says that, but if you try to apply from here...well, we have to send your application to UDI anyway, so it'll take the usual 2 months processing time. 
Me: "2 months? Wouldn't it be quicker to apply from within Norway, rather than having to mail the application first to the consulate, then to UDI?"
Norwegian police: *cough* "Urgh, uh, actually, I can promise you to make it take longer if you apply from here."
Me: "Oh"

See, but ya actually can apply from Norway.  So do yourself a favor and don't take a page out of my book.  Don't be proactive, engaged, and try to be aware of the legal framework.  It'll just get you screwed.  You'll end up like me, having to tell your boss that you'll be there soon (and pray they keep the position open for you), when calling less and asking fewer questions will win you the king's goat, daughter and half the kingdom. 

I contacted UDI a month and a half into my 2 month processing time, and was told that they had recieved my application, but had "not processed it yet." 

I hope that in Norwegu-speak, she really meant to say that they've been working on it, but didn't have an answer yet.  Please tell me that I didn't pay $170 and go 2 months without a paycheck, just to have UDI shelve my application for 6 weeks. 

I'd like to have access to the Kingdom soon, please.  I need to read Nemi, listen to Norwegian pop, and get out of the country until the 2008 presidential election. 

Dear Norway,

Why do you hate me when I love you so much?

Love,

Raeka
]]> 0 Ok, now I just feel bad Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:40:07 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1197445008_ok_now_i_just_feel_ba.html http://udi.blogg.no/1197445008_ok_now_i_just_feel_ba.html http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/artikkel.php?artid=177097

"Irakere med midlertidig opphold i Norge får nå i tur og orden avslag på fornyet oppholdstillatelse. Flere av dem svarer med usedvanlig grove trusler mot UDI-ansatte."

Gawd, how awful do you have to be?  I'd like to take this moment to express my distaste for such threats, and affirm my blog's goal of providing insight (and minor bitching) on UDI policies.  It is never ok to coerce or threaten violence!  Those people are giving immigrants a bad name!

]]> 1 Christmas came early this year Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:24:09 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1197442806_christmas_came_early_.html http://udi.blogg.no/1197442806_christmas_came_early_.html check out UDI's new and "improved" policies concerning foreign workers:

Three changes for skilled workers/specialists from outside the EU/EEA area:

  • Skilled workers who are in Norway on a visa can now apply for a work permit from Norway when the visa has been issued for three months or less. Currently it is required that such a visa has been issued for exactly three months for such persons to be able to apply for a work permit from Norway.
  • The police have also been given the power of decision concerning applications for renewal for a new work or a new work place.  The reason for the change is that it is usually common that an employee receives an offer from another employer before the employee?s original work permit expires. The current procedure is that, such an application must be sent to the UDI by the police for processing. This practically increases the application case-processing time.
  • The right to start working with a new employer when an application for renewal of a permit has been submitted.
Ah, allow me to interpret: point one: if you need a visa in order to apply for a Specialist work permit from within Norway, your visa doesn't have to be for 90 days, it can be for a shorter period of time.  Big whoop.  Be assured this will have no bearing on how quote "easy" it is for people from countries with visa requirements to find work in Norway.  There is no rational or logical reason why those visas had to be 90 days before.  It's like saying "in order to save money on laundry detergent, we've decided to wear only one pair of underwear at a time, instead of two!"  Absolutely uneccesary to begin with!

Point two: Instead of sending your application for renewal of your Specialist permit to the efficient powerhouse that is UDI, the police can do it.  This isn't as generous as it sounds.  Basically, if you've already gone through the laborious process of applying for a Specialist's permit, you can renew it (after paying a tidy fee, of course) at the police station.  BFD.

Point three: This is perhaps the most reasonable of the three.  Usually when you apply for a new permit in order to switch jobs, you'd have to wait for approval before you could start your new job.  Remember that the case processing time for specialist permits is four months.  They act like they're being sooo gracious- can you imagine having to support a family as an immigrant, and have to wait four months for an answer, before you can start working again?  What if your previous job falls through before then?  Up sh*t creek without a paddle, I guess.  Oh yeah, and don't forget the tidy fee for getting a new permit.  NOK 1100.

...

The part that really gets my goat (yes, I know it's quite easy), is the very nice new policy for EU/EEA citizens:

The changes imply that, citizens of the EU/EEA for whom the transitional rules apply, can begin to work as soon as they submit an application for a resident permit to the police. This however assumes that, the application is accurately filled and all the requested documents are enclosed.

EU/EEA Specialists do not have to apply for a temporary permit (foreløpig tillatelse) in order to start their jobs.  Non EU/EEA citizens can still expect the unecessary and discriminatory practice requiring that they apply for a temporary permit (approval can take days) at their local police station before starting work.  One doesn't know why should some be given this convenience, and others denied it. 

Additionally, settlement:

The instructions from AID will further lead to a softening-up in relation to skilled workers/specialists who apply for settlement permit in Norway. Settlement permit is a permit which grants the holder the right to live permanently in Norway. The regulation is such that, an employee can apply for such a permit after three years, if they have held a work permit which constitutes grounds for a settlement permit. The current requirement is that the employee should have had the same employer in those three years.

After the instructions from AID, the legislation shall henceforth be interpreted in such way that the period of three years will longer be interrupted when an employee changes an employer. The employee must continue to apply for renewal at the expiration of each permit, but the change of employer will no longer have an effect on the possibility of applying for a settlement permit. The condition is that, the applicant has worked in Norway for three consecutive years.

Colloquially, these two paragraphs say: "Hi, we've decided to stop being completely batshit insane for no reason other than pure whimsy.  Oh dear, is it 2008 already? How time does fly!"

So, before, in order for someone working in Norway on a Specialist permit to get a settlement permit (settlement means no more work permits), they had to work for three consecuitive, uninterrupted years for the same employer.  No matter if he was a dick, no matter if you got treated unfairly; leaving that job would jeopardize your settlement permit.  Now, under the new-and-improved UDI rules, you can *gasp* work for different employers, and still get your settlement permit after three years!  Be still, my heart.  This is a tremendous step forward, that recognizes the rights of foreign workers and gives them due respect & dignity.  Kudos UDI. 

All of these changes take place on January 1, 2008.

]]> 0 If you lose your job Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:58:57 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1197441186_if_you_lose_your_job.html http://udi.blogg.no/1197441186_if_you_lose_your_job.html when that would be, only that if you haven't applied for a new permit by the time they revoke your old one, you have to leave the country. 

You could probably apply for a number of different permits, if you're dead set on staying in Norway.  I'd just leave.  There's no point in applying for a new seasonal job and a new seasonal work permit, when you can only work in Norway for 6 months a year on that type of permit.  Fair's fair, I suppose.  There really isn't any country in the world with borders flung wide open, with cheery border guards acting as the welcome wagon with fruit baskets and champagne.  Immigration's job is to be a bunch of hard-asses.  Still, seems pretty bitchy to kick someone out right after they lose a job, especially since all they'd be doing is spending money in the country.  Of course it's not right for Norwegians to foot the bill of other countries' unemployed, but it feels so *urgh* to know that if my job doesn't work out, I'm outta there. 

It's tough being an immigration-newcomer.  Everything seems unfair and stacked against me, and of course everything's personal, since I am after all, the only person applying for a work permit right now.  Every new job is a risk... will I like it?  Will my boss be a nut?

I'm fairly confident about this job, though.  My boss seems pretty cool, and I've never been fired from any job before.  Now, if I could only get my work permit...

Btw, the other types of visas/permits you can apply for are: another seasonal work permit, specialist permit, or job searcher's visa.  A job searcher's visa sounds like a crock.  You pay 60 Euros for the privilege of proving to the Norwegian government that you have 550 NOK a day to support yourself while looking for a Specialist job. 

Not interested.  Would rather be out another $500 for a plane ticket home, then wander around Oslo deluding myself into thinking that I could find a job as a Specialist in 90 days. 

]]> 0 When to call UDI Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:44:52 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1197282858_when_to_call_udi.html http://udi.blogg.no/1197282858_when_to_call_udi.html so indispensable that I can waltz in whenever the feeling moves me. UDI doesn't care though. That's why I think they make the process slow on purpose. It's not like they couldn't figure out how to get people into the country to start their jobs within a reasonable time frame, they merely choose not to. I.e., the door is open, until you try to enter. It's an optical illusion. But I must say, when they actually do answer the phone, the OTS has been very helpful and polite about my application. So props to them, because I'm sure they're not the ones calling the shots, they just answer the phones.

Call upon my lover- UDI Opplysningstjeneste: (+47) 23 35 16 00. Open 9-3:30 M-F, but alas, NOT answering phones between 11-1. Or so they say.]]> 0 "Want to work in Norway? Not Norwegian? Forget it!" Sun, 09 Dec 2007 08:11:06 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1197185651_interesting_post_what.html http://udi.blogg.no/1197185651_interesting_post_what.html http://oikopleura.blogspot.com/2005/11/want-to-work-in-norway-not-norwegian.html

"I used to follow an ex-pat job website for non-Norwegians living in Norway, and just about every week someone would post how they wanted to follow their sweetheart to Norway, this is what they did for a living, and could they find a job here? And the response from the ex-pats, born of hard experience, was NO. It didn't actually matter what you did - if you weren't Norwegian, didn't speak Norwegian fluently, didn't have a Norwegian education, and were seeking a job with a Norwegian company, you had almost no chance of finding work."

"Norway is filled with unemployed and underemployed spouses, boyfriends, and girlfriends of Norwegians that have left good jobs in their home countries and cannot find work here. The ugly truth behind this is that deep down Norwegian employers are extremely xenophobic."

"Norwegian industries talk constantly about importing educated talent and the need for it, but when it comes to putting words into action, nothing happens."

Nothing like a little self-doubt to fuel a post.  To pose the unanswerable questions,

DO Norwegian companies blacklist you if you're
  • Not Norwegian?
  • Not fluent?
  • Don't have a degree from a Norweigan University?
What a scary thought!  But could it be true?  The author writes from the perspective of a highly educated professional. I'm guessing PhD.  And of course, I wouldn't know anything about applying for a job as a trained professional.  This is, after all, a blog mainly about seasonal work permits, perhaps later moving on to a Specialist permit, which is what I imagine he was in Norway on. 

I've heard it before- if you're not one of us, if you don't look like us or sound like us, we won't hire you.  Heard it, but chose not to put too much stock in it.  I'm a firm believer in loopholes, and that "if there's a will, there's a way."  I heard from many a Norwegian and American friend, the stories about so-and-so who fell in love with a Norwegian, moved to Norway, and found their college degree (or higher) to be completely useless and unattractive to employers.  Or, what's worse than not finding a job, is being forced to take one that is beneath your skills & education.  Say, a technician working tech support. 

I speak Norwegian fluently, but I am not a Norwegian, nor will I ever be.  I do not know if Norwegian employers are xenophobic.  Those who I have worked for were most certainly not, but for competetive professional positions, I cannot say that it is impossible to imagine a Norwegian employer favoring a Norwegian candidate over a foreign one, simply because they would feel more comfortable with one of their own. 

I have been loath to blame the employer for not hiring me.   I have applied for roughly 5 professional positions with NGOs in Norway that required post-secondary education.  I recieved no calls, no responses from these organizations.  Perhaps I wasn't the right person, perhaps they couldn't wait for a foreign employee or perhaps they already had someone picked out for the job.  The same myriad of reasons for why you didn't get the job exists in Norway as it is in your home country, except now you can add "because I'm a foreigner" to the list.  Yes, it may be harder to get a job overseas, but one should expect that it would be harder. 

I have run across xenophobic Norwegians.  It has been offensive and unpleasant to be on the receiving end of their willful ignorance.  Yes, it's annoying, but people can be that way here in the US as well. 

It makes sense to me that I recieved many call-backs and offers from jobs in tourism.  It's a sector with high turnover, and the pay is low, relative to that of skilled professionals.  It is a sector in which xenophobia is very unlikely to be found.  Who ever heard of the museum owner who hated foreigners, or the hotel that beat the competition by hiring only Norwegian speakers, and only published their website in Norwegian?  It's a multicultural, multilingual workplace by necessity, and those who get squeamish around outsiders are unlikely to go to hotel management school. 

So yeah, I'll report back in 20 years when I've gotten m PhD and am getting turned down for all the hot jobs.  Then I will eat my words.  :)





]]> 0 Extra Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:11:25 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1196985456_extra.html http://udi.blogg.no/1196985456_extra.html
To my mind, it all comes down to a matter of priorities and preference. For me, working in tourism in Norway is a safe financial venture, because my "bottom line" over there is comparatively better than my bottom line over here for the same type of job. Perhaps I've just gotten an exceptionally good job offer, because working in hospitality in Norway will be much, much better for my pocketbook, student loans, (etc) than choosing a similar job here.

A preliminary search for hospitality jobs frequently taken on by young people showed starting wages of $8-$12/hr (NOK 44-66/hr) for employ as waiters, bartenders, receptionists, booking agents, and ski lift workers. The exchange rate is exceptionally bad right now, plus goods just don't cost as much in the US as they do in Norway, so I would guesst that $8-$12/hr translates to NOK 70-100 per hour, when Norway's higher cost of living is taken into consideration.

The wilderness in Norway is so beautiful, the pay so much better for these jobs than here, that I'm willing to go through the necessary hassle of immigration in order to get there. No entry level job in the scenic parts of Vermont, Colorado, Oregon & Washington, and nearby in Canada for that matter- would give me a monthly net (that is to say, my pay after taxes, health insurance, loans, rent, food & phone) that's equal to an entire month's salary of working at the high end of the beginning range, $12/hr here in the US. Yes, plane tickets are expensive, as is setting up a new household, but the prospect of working in the middle of the mountains for double the pay I earned working in a tiny little cubicle (without health insurance, benefits, or much vacation) is very tempting. 

Sure, you can hypothetically earn more and keep more of your earnings working here in the US, if you have the type of job that allows you to do so.  But in terms of societal well-being, I am convinced that we need at least a bare minimum of universal health coverage.  43 million Americans lack insurance, which can sound the death knell of your savings & retirement if you fall seriously ill.  But people like to think it won't happen to them.  None of my co-workers in my old office had health insurance or dental insurance.  At $11-$15 dollars an hour, they simply couldn't afford it.  They had convinced themselves that they didn't want it.  "I'm healthy, and I'm not going to throw away that money (on health insurance)," a co-worker once told me.  This is how much of America lives.  You cannot support a family of two spouses earning $15 an hour.  Yet the minute anyone mentions the words "universal" and "health care," most white collar private sector workers will berate you for trying to take away their freedom, of trying to let 'useless, overstuffed bureaucracy' misspend more of their hard-earned cash.  These are people who lean right.  They're fine with billions of their 'hard earned' tax dollars being spent to fight a war that does nothing to improve their quality of life.  This outlook stems, as I've said before, from the ungrounded optimism that they will one day be the CEO, the top dog, and they don't want to be taking care of those lazy leeches who want other people to pay for their health care.  It's the illusion in America that if you work hard enough, you will one day reach the top, and when you do, you'll want to keep all your earnings, not be forced to pay for other people's health care (which they should be doing for themselves, if they were working hard at all!).  The richest among us know the value of perpetuating this myth: it means they can continue to exploit the poor.  My co-workers refused to stick up for themselves, their right to be healthy, and their right to earn livable wages.  Maybe they don't have time, or have lost the motivation.  Either way, we're told to keep climbing the ladder....

]]> 0 Arbeidsinnvandring 2006 continued Fri, 07 Dec 2007 07:48:15 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1197013489_arbeidsinnvandring_20.html http://udi.blogg.no/1197013489_arbeidsinnvandring_20.html interesting article on 2006, incl. # of work permits granted to non-EU citizens.  Could that 55,000 from the earlier article really be only from EU countries?  55,000 sounds like a lot, enough to be the total number of permits.  Interesting that only 662 Specialist work permits were approved in 2006.  I wonder how many total applications there were, and how many renewals.  I believe the quota for Specialist permits is 400 to 500 per year, and that it has never been filled. ]]> 0 Winds of change? Fri, 07 Dec 2007 07:34:32 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1197010434_sounds_nuts_to_me.html http://udi.blogg.no/1197010434_sounds_nuts_to_me.html Work permit delays under fire - Aftenposten


An informative article from Sept 18, 2007 on one temp recruiting agency's frustration with the painstakingly slow work permit process. Officially, a seasonal visa takes 2 months to process, but add at least another month on to that for the total time before an employee can start working. The employer has to send an "offer of employment," which has to be included in your application to your regional consulate (where it will then be sent back overseas to UDI in Oslo). Mail takes about 5-7 days to reach the US from Norway.

I don't know if employers' frustration is enough to urge the process along. I doubt employers will be given the power to issue permits... that is at best a distant possibility. What's more likely, is that the approval time will be shortened for non EU countries.

From what I've read, the long waiting times are not accidental. I can't believe that it honestly takes 60 days to stamp "yes" on an application, when you include a copy of your passport, letters of reference, 2 pictures, a job offer, resume and transcripts. No doubt the waiting time and the fee are part of weeding out those who will not or cannot wait, or whose employers will not wait for them. I can see letting employers grant work permits as being problematic- what if you want your good friend to come over and "work" for you? It could be abused as a ploy to get family members over, who lack sustainable livelihoods. Yes, I think it's important that UDI, or at least the local police station, be able to scrutinize applications and make unbiased decisions regarding immigration.

So why does it take two months? Are they just busy?

UDI approved some 55,000 work permits last year (2006) for EU/EEA countries alone. Multiply 5 X 52 for the total number of working days, and subtract 20 days from that total, to give a generous estimate of holidays per year.

5 days per week X 52 weeks per year = 260 working days.
Subtract 20 holidays/non-working days = 240 working days per year.

55,000 EU/EEA work permits granted in 2006 / 240 working days pr. year = 229 permits approved per day.

The 55,000 includes construction, seasonal, specialist, au pair, journalist, athletic, student part-time, oil rig (and yes, circus) work permits. One in three permits was granted for construction work. Other popular sectors include ship maintenance, sales, restaurants and hospitality. 39,000 of these 55,000 permits were granted to Poles (71%). 19% went to Lithuanians, and 3% to Latvians. Construction and Healthcare/Nursing are the sectors where workers are most needed.   Source: http://www.udi.no/templates/Uttalelse.aspx?id=8711

Two hundred and twenty nine permits approved per day, just to the EU/EEA countries. Not bad. That's not including all the applications they turn down, either. 2 months is a bit more understandable from this angle.  229 permits per day... I wonder how many people are working on it right now at UDI. 229? :D

Sukk]]> 0 Can someone tell me Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:30:21 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1196994389_can_someone_tell_me.html http://udi.blogg.no/1196994389_can_someone_tell_me.html skatteberegning calculates just your income tax, or all of your taxes? 

Also,

Inntektsskat kommune = "state" income tax
Inntektsskat fellesskat = federal income tax
Trygdeavgift loenn = medical insurance, social services (?)

What else is covered by the trygdeavgift?

Thanks!!
]]> 0 Did you know that when you go on vacation, capitalism breaks down? Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:15:28 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1196935122_did_you_know_that_whe.html http://udi.blogg.no/1196935122_did_you_know_that_whe.html
Norway's a freak of nature in that they haven't realized that when you go on vacation, the entire capitalist economy falls apart. I mean, it were possible to take more than 1 week off per year, don't you think enterprising Americans would have come up with it first? I can't wait until all those Norwegians sunning themselves at their summer cabins wake up 6 weeks into their holidays and realize their entire economy has spiraled and collapsed. Don't they know that you have to work 40 hours a week, 51 weeks per year, in order to keep the economy vibrant? Those losers, someone should really tell them what's up.

I always wondered why Norwegians seem in general, less anxious and well... more happy than Americans. Perhaps the 4 weeks + 1 day of mandatory vacation has something to do with it. I can't imagine my old boss saying "gee, you've worked really hard, and I really appreciate how you helped me make that $200,000 this month... you deserve a vacation! Here, take 4 weeks, and what's more, I'll pay you to go! Get out of my sight! Enjoy yourself!"

*slaps self in face with wet fish* Ohhh right. Right. My last job, I was working 40 hrs/week for just over minimum wage (min. wage in the US buys you a very nice cardboard box, and perhaps some discounted lil' debbies'), NO benefits, and here's the corker: I'd get one whole week of paid vacation at the end of one whole year! Oh boy! No wonder drug companies are doing so well. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't want to toke up, knowing that they had to spend 30% of their waking life with my boss.

As a foreign worker in Norway, you will be entitled to a minimum of 4 weeks + 1 day of paid vacation per year, including your first year. This is the minimum, the starting point. And you can't not take it. You have to go. If you didn't you'd have what we have here, where employees fall all over themselves to be the best martyr, the sacrificial goat of the company (i.e. "of course, boss, I'd like to get ahead, so I won't go on vacation... just promote me, and effectually penalize those who do take a healthy dose of time off). You are allowed at least 18 days of uninterrupted vacation during the summer months, and entitled to full pay plus 10.2% of your salary as feriepenger (holiday cash).




]]> 4 Norwegian resort jobs Thu, 06 Dec 2007 04:00:38 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1196911585_norwegian_resort_jobs.html http://udi.blogg.no/1196911585_norwegian_resort_jobs.html Høvringen Høyfjellshotell is looking for a cook for the winter season. Høvringen is near Rondane and Jotunheimen national park, a beautiful area. They are also looking for a full-time winter receptionist, as well as servers starting Feb 1, 2008.

Fefor Høyfjellshotell in Vinstra (Gudbrandsdalen) is looking for a cook/kitchen assistant and a receptionist/booking agent

Vallhall Eiendom Krøttøy near Lofoten in Northern Norway is looking for a hotel receptionist and cook to start March 19,2008. This job ad is in English.

Storefjell Hotel in Gol, Buskerud (4 hrs north of Oslo) is looking for 4 servers with knowledge of a Scandinavian language

Fretheim Hotel in the beautiful Sognefjord on the west coast needs 6 servers starting in April 2008.

Rondane Spa is looking for 2 waiter-bartenders who speaks English (preferably also a Scandinavian language, though it is not required) to start ASAP. This job ad is in English.

Hindseter Fjellhotell is looking for a cook- kitchen assistant with or without formal training. Norwegians and foreigners encouraged to apply.
]]> 0 UDI = INS = Love Tue, 04 Dec 2007 08:24:32 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1196755960_udi__ins__love.html http://udi.blogg.no/1196755960_udi__ins__love.html
I can't imagine what it must be like for people who want to work in the US. You run the whole gamot of kicking out illegal immigrants, to forcing doctors and psychologists to work as medical aides or worse. The idea of doctors from India traveling to the US to be told that their degrees are completely useless is just so humiliating. 'Hey, so, the last 25 years that you spent in school? Out the window!' Get recertified. But that's really the attitude towards immigrants here- we're going to pretend that your credentials aren't good enough, just to beat you down a little further.

We totally know that our country wouldn't function if we got rid of all the illegals here. There are places in all big cities, vacant lots, where Mexican day laborers gather each morning to stand and wait for some random farm owner to come by and offer them a day's work for a pittance. We don't seem to care about people, we only want them for their labor- and we want them when we want them. Just the other day, republican governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, was lambasted by his GOP counterparts for supporting a bill that would have allowed illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at state schools. I suppose the repubs would rather have it that the children of illegal immigrants be deprived of an education that might lift them into educated, higher-contributing members of society. Their official line is that since illegals don't pay taxes, they shouldn't get the in-state discount on education. But underlying this argument is the perverse desire to humiliate these people further, to keep kicking them down, ensuring that they never become the active, healthy, educated & contributing members of society that the repubs criticise them for not being. Want a leg up? No chance in hell America.

No matter how much I tear into UDI for being slow lazy bastards, nothing they've done comes close to our shameful treatment of fellow human beings.
]]> 1 Writing your job application Tue, 04 Dec 2007 07:48:15 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1196751979_applying_for_jobs_pt2.html http://udi.blogg.no/1196751979_applying_for_jobs_pt2.html


Name

Street address

City, State Zip code USA

+1(000)000-0000

my@email.com

._________________________________________________ City 4 desember 2007

Kari Nordmann

Norway Hotel

0851 OSLO

Søknad på (name of position)stilling

In the first paragraph, I mentioned how I found the job ad, briefly introduced myself, and explained why I was interested in the position.
In the second paragraph, I explained how skills gained through my education would be useful to the position and to the company
In the third paragraph, I showed how my previous work experience would make me a suitable candidate for the job, and conclude by re-stating my interest in the job.

Finally, I invited them to view my attached resume, and listed my phone # and e-mail, should they want to contact me for an interview.

Vennlig hilsen,

Name


Nearly all of the job ads required a søknad, which is to say, a cover letter. The Norwegian cover letter varies from the standard American one in several ways.

  • First, Norwegian cover letters are more prone to begin with how you found the position.
  • Since you are applying from out of country, it is important to put your country code in front of your phone number (remember to do this on your resume too).
  • I gathered that the date is written as "Oslo 4 desember 2007" rather than simply writing the date, which we'd do here.
  • After the address of the recipient, write in bold print what position your application is for. Formatting probably varies according to the job, but I've observed this format quite often.
  • "Vennlig hilsen" corresponds to "Sincerely" when closing a cover letter. It connotes the appropriate level of regard and formality as "sincerely."
Some stock phrases I've found useful:

Jeg viser til annonse... - I'm writing in response to the advertisment....
Om nærmere opplysning viser jeg til... - For further information, please see... my resume, etc.
Om ønskelig stiller jeg gjerne til telefonintervju... - I would be very happy to schedule a telephone interview...

This is a basic guide on the format and content of an American cover letter

SoYouWanna write a cover letter? was very useful for me

Read Dagbladet's Hvordan skrive jobbsøknad

When writing your cover letter, focus on selling yourself. These people don't know the first thing about you. Help them to see that you're the perfect person for the job. Don't apply for jobs you don't want- it'll be harder to write a convincing cover letter, the interview will be harder, and you'll probably hate the job. Read the job ad carefully and scour the hotel's website to glean as much as possible about the hotel and the position. By all means, search for blogs, facebook groups & myspace pages by employees and see if they like their job- or not. Tailor your letter to fit the criteria that the employer's looking for: if they want someone with strong language skills, emphasize that. Your job isn't to provide them with a complete picture of you and your abilities, but to assure them that you have what they need, and that you would be a problem-solver instead of a liability. Don't believe it when people say that an employer is just as nervous going into an interview as the interviewee- that's bull. They're nervous about making the wrong choice, about missing the signs that you're really a crazy person. Meet them on that level, and show them that you're everything they need, and nothing they don't.]]> 0 We get it: not everybody can write! Tue, 04 Dec 2007 04:35:56 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1196742594_we_get_it_not_everybo.html http://udi.blogg.no/1196742594_we_get_it_not_everybo.html not everybody can write. We get it, guys. Give them a raise. Give them a mercedes. Just please come back! Seriously. The last episode of Grey's Anatomy? Pretty much all of the ABC shows? It's like the people filling in wanted to do as much damage to the show as possible, just to make it harder for the writers when they come back. Tornado on Wisteria lane? Victor Lang getting whacked off the boat? They'll have more than a set to rebuild when the writers return...

]]> 0 This place is just the cutest Tue, 04 Dec 2007 04:26:56 GMT http://udi.blogg.no/1196740416_this_place_is_just_th.html http://udi.blogg.no/1196740416_this_place_is_just_th.html this hotel a few months ago, but they didn't have any openings then. Now they have openings for receptionists, bartenders and in the ski shop. What a cute place! I wouldn't go so far as to say I wish I didn't already have a job, but this place is the perfect size, in the most beautiful surroundings in Gålå. Never been there, but it looks *amazing.* I get the impression that it's close to Jotunheimen... anyone been there who could tell me how big that town is?

The couple that owns it is just incredibly cute. Looks like a wonderful place to work.

gala]]> 0 http://i.blogg.no/342x145/http://udi.blogg.no/images/gala_1196742383.jpg