How Norway's citizenship rules could be tightened under a new government
The shock return of former PM Jens Stoltenberg to Norwegian politics may have made Norway's
general election harder to call
by significantly boosting Labour's popularity, but polling in March showed a right-wing majority was still the
likeliest outcome
.
Regardless of which of the Conservative Party or Progress Party ends up leading the government there could be
a significant impact on
those applying for Norwegian citizenship in the coming years, as both parties want tighter rules on who can become Norwegian.
Erlend Wiborg, immigration policy spokesperson for the Progress Party, told the regional newspaper
Bergens Tidende
that Norway was 'handing out citizenship like candy' compared to Denmark.
Last year, Norway granted
27,276 nationals citizenship
, compared to
6,255 applicants
being awarded
Danish citizenship
.
How could the rules change?
The Progress Party has proposed a minimum residence length of 10 years to
be eligible for
Norwegian citizenship and also wants to bar those with a criminal conviction from applying.
On top of this, the party would want applicants to pass a language test at a minimum B2 level, which is a level higher than the current rules.
According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the B2 level is considered upper-intermediate, and language users at this level can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity.
A self-sufficiency requirement would also be introduced and apply to the five years before the applicant applied to become a Norwegian citizen.
Finally, the party wants applicants to take an oath of allegiance and pass a test on
basic
Norwegian values.
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Passing a citizenship test, which quizzes the applicants on their knowledge of history, geography, and cultural norms, is already a requirement.
READ ALSO:
Everything you need to know about Norway's citizenship exam
Therefore, it is possible that the current citizenship test may be overhauled rather than a completely new test being introduced.
Furthermore, attendees at Norwegian
citizenship ceremonies
are already
given
the opportunity
to swear allegiance to Norway, although this is currently optional rather than mandatory.
Earlier this year, Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg told the newspaper
VG
that the level of immigration into Norway over the past two decades 'cannot continue'.
The Conservative Party has been less specific in its push to tighten citizenship but has said that it
wants to introduce tighter language requirements and identity verification
.
On top of that, applicants will not be able to apply for Norwegian citizenship if they have any outstanding debt claims against them.
This
refers to the debt collection process for overdue payments rather than general debts, such as student loans or a mortgage.
In addition to the tighter citizenship requirements, the Conservative Party said it wanted tighter family reunification rules for refugees and to increase the requirements for permanent residence.
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At the time of writing the
Labour Party
and the
Socialist Left Party
haven't made any pledges in regards to tightening the citizenship rules on their websites or have unveiled major proposals to shake-up the current regulations.
How quickly could the rules change?
The general election isn't until September 8th, and while a right-wing majority is currently the most likely outcome - it isn't guaranteed either.
Furthermore, given the nature of the changes being proposed by the two parties, changes may need to be made to Norway's citizenship law (
Statsborgerloven).
When a law gets amended in Norway, it has to go through a process similar to that of a new law being created.
This would mean the proposal would need to be submitted for public consultation and then sent to the parliamentary committee responsible for immigration for cross-party scrutiny.
After these steps, it will then be subject to a vote in parliament before being signed off by the king and given an introduction date in the Norwegian Law Gazette.
READ MORE:
How a new law gets made in Norway
Although, the process would be more streamlined if its just the immigration regulations rather than the law that needs changing.
Applicants are normally given a few months notice of when the rules will change,
although this isn't always the case
, which would allow those close to being eligible under the current rules time to hand in their applications.
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