When you apply for asylum in Norway, the outcome may be that you get a permit or a rejection.
If you apply for asylum and get a permit to reside in Norway and possibly to work* here, this may have been granted on the basis of one of three criteria:
- You may be granted a permit with asylum/refugee status.
- You may be granted a permit (protection) because Norwegian authorities find that you cannot return safely to your native country.
- You may be granted a permit on humanitarian grounds.
Asylum
All asylum applications are initially assessed for granting of asylum. If you meet the requirements for asylum, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) will grant you asylum/refugee status as well as work and residence permit in Norway. To obtain asylum/refugee status, you must have a reason to fear persecution (as defined by the Refugee Convention) due to political opinion, race, nationality, religion or membership of a social group. If your fear of persecution is based on other grounds than these so-called convention reasons, you are not entitled to asylum/refugee status.
Protection
If you are not granted asylum, the UDI will always consider granting you protection (which is an alternative safeguard). You may for example fear persecution for other reasons than the above mentioned reasons according to the Refugee Convention. If you are at risk of losing your life or being exposed to inhuman treatment, you are protected against return to your native country. You will then be granted a work and residence permit on this basis.
Humanitarian considerations
However, if protection is not granted, the UDI will always consider granting work and residence permit on humanitarian grounds. Your health, family situation, considerations for your children, the situation in your native country, time of residence and issues related to immigration policy are some of the factors in the UDI’s assessment of whether residence permit on humanitarian grounds can be granted.
* Work permit is normally granted to persons above the age of 18 / adults. Children / persons below the age of 18 are in general granted residence permit.
