Introduction Programme

The Introduction Programme is a training programme intended to prepare you for participation in work or education in Norway. All refugees between 18 and 55 years of age who have been granted temporary collective protection and who are residing in a municipality based on an agreement with IMDi may participate in the Introduction Programme if they wish to do so.

Participation in the Introduction Programme is voluntary. If you have a job offer that requires you to work between 30 and 40 hours per week, you must accept the job instead of participating in the Introduction Programme. If you have a part-time job, it may be part of your Introduction Programme.

In the Introduction Programme, you will participate in activities that help you get a job and/or pursue further education.

All refugees aged between 18 and 55 with temporary collective protection, who are residents of a municipality by agreement with IMDi, can participate in the Introduction Programme if they wish to, and have been residents of the municipality for less than two years.

The municipality must offer you the opportunity to start the Introduction Programme as soon as possible, and no later than three months after you have been settled in the municipality.

The municipality may choose to offer you the Introduction Programme if you are between 55 and 67 years old, or if you have settled in the municipality without an agreement with IMDi, and you wish to participate.

If you move to another municipality, you will not have the right to attend the Introduction Programme in the new municipality, unless the move is agreed upon with the new municipality.

The duration of your participation in the programme is determined by your prior education and the goal of the program. If you have completed secondary education or higher education, the goal of participating in the program is usually to get a job. For most refugees from Ukraine, the Introduction Programme lasts for 6 months.

The Introduction Programme has some common content for all participants, while other content will depend on the goal of your Programme. You and the programme advisor will together create a plan for what your Introduction Programme should include and how long it should last. This is called an integration plan. If you and the programme advisor do not agree, the programme advisor will decide the content of your Introduction Programme.

If the goal of your programme is to get a job, you must have at least 15 hours of work-related activities, no later than the fourth month of the programme. This may include work experience at a workplace, part-time work, or a short vocational or industry-specific course. Attending work training helps you build skills and networks to secure regular employment and provides an opportunity to practice the Norwegian language.

If you have not completed secondary education, elementary school or secondary education may be part of or your entire programme.

In the Introduction Programme, you will also receive training in Norwegian or English. If you have children under 18 years, you will receive parental guidance. Parental guidance should provide you with knowledge of what it is like to be a parent in Norway and what services are available for children and parents. All participants in the Introduction Programme with children must participate in parental guidance.

You will receive money while participating in the Introduction Programme. This financial support is called introduction allowance, and it is a fixed amount intended to cover your expenses for rent, food, and other living expenses.

You must pay tax on the introduction allowance. Tax will be automatically deducted from your payment.

If you receive other financial support, you may receive less. The same applies if you have income from a job.

If you decline the Introduction Programme and apply for other financial support from the municipality you live in, the municipality may require you to start the Introduction Programme.

It is the municipality that pays the introduction allowance. If you provide incorrect information about your income to the municipality, the municipality may demand that you repay the introduction allowance.

If you have a programme that lasts for 1 year or more, you will receive a total of five weeks of vacation. If you have a programme that lasts less than 1 year, vacation will be calculated based on the duration of your programme. If you participate in the programme for 6 months, your vacation will be 2 and a half weeks. The municipality determines when you can take vacation.

You also have the right to leave due to illness, pregnancy and childbirth, or if there are other important reasons why you cannot participate. You must apply to your programme advisor for leave.

If the absence is not approved by the programme advisor, you will have deductions in the introduction allowance and less time in the programme. If you have a lot of absence, the municipality may stop your programme. Then you may lose the right to participate in the Introduction Programme.

Traveling to Ukraine may affect your residence permit, read more about the rules on the UDI website.

If you have a job offer in almost full-time employment, you must accept the job instead of participating in the Introduction Programme.

If you have found a job in Norway, but for example, it was seasonal work or you are laid off, you can start or complete the Introduction Programme in the municipality where you were settled. This applies for two years from when you are settled in the municipality.

Everyone between the ages of 18 and 67 can receive Norwegian language training in the municipality where they are settled. If you move to another municipality, you retain the right to language training. You can receive Norwegian language training for one year from the start. If you have valid leave from the training, your training will be extended by the time you have leave.

You can receive Norwegian language training even if you choose not to participate in the Introduction Programme. In some cases, the right to Norwegian language training lasts longer than the Introduction Programme, and you can continue with Norwegian language training even if you have completed the Introduction Programme and have found a job.

You must have been settled in a municipality by agreement with IMDi to have the right to Norwegian language training.

The Norwegian language training should help you achieve a level that allows you to start working. Norwegian language training can also be combined with work, for example, you can participate in teaching in the evening or digitally. If you wish, the municipality should offer you a free Norwegian language test. The Norwegian language test can document your Norwegian language skills.

You can appeal the decision regarding the Introduction Programme, the plan for your program, or the implementation of the program if you believe that the municipality has done something that violates your rights. You appeal to the municipality. The municipality will process the complaint. The municipality may change the decision. If the municipality believes that the decision should not be changed, the municipality will send the complaint to the county governor. The county governor will then process the complaint.

The municipality has a duty to provide you with guidance on the regulations and how to appeal if you need it. The decision on the Introduction Program must also include information on how to appeal.