Settlement in Norway for refugees

Different ways of being settled in a municipality

Once you have been granted a residence permit, which entitles you to settlement with public assistance in Norway, you must be resident in a municipality. IMDi decides which municipality in Norway you will be settled in and makes the necessary arrangements with the municipality.

One way to become settled with public assistance is to let IMDi choose a municipality for you. You can also find accommodation yourself and ask the municipality whether it can approve it (agreed self-settlement). This must be done before IMDi has chosen a municipality for you. If you wish to participate in the Introduction Programme or receive financial support, you must be settled by agreement with IMDi.

You can choose to self-settle without assistance from IMDi. Doing so means you lose the right to participate in the Introduction Programme and receive the introduction benefit – instead, you must support yourself financially.

Settlement with public assistance

Settlement with public assistance is a voluntary service offered by the state where IMDi will find a municipality for you to live in. You will only receive one offer and cannot appeal against the offer if you are unhappy with it (cf. section 46 of the Integration Act). Refusing an offer of settlement means you lose the right to participate in the Introduction Programme and receive the introduction benefit – instead, you must support yourself financially.

Who is eligible for public settlement?

You must hold a residence permit based on an application for protection. 
You must hold one of these residence permits in order to receive an offer for settlement with public assistance:

• collective protection
• residence permit for refugees
• residence permit due to strong humanitarian considerations based on an application for protection

The first residence permit you receive that can lead to permanent residence in Norway determines whether you can receive an offer for settlement with public assistance. This means that if you come to Norway for family reunification or as a qualified worker and later receive refugee status, you will not be eligible for settlement.

Benefits of public settlement

• You will be entitled to participate in the Introduction Programme and receive the introduction benefit.
• You will have the opportunity to receive other forms of financial support from your municipality.
• You will receive assistance in establishing yourself in your local community.

If you are staying in an asylum reception centre

If you are staying in an asylum reception centre or an alternative reception centre, you do not need to apply to self-settle. You will be invited to speak with a member of staff about relevant issues such as family, health, education and work. The reception centre will send this information to IMDi which will then find a municipality for you to settle in.

The role of IMDi

IMDi uses the information from the asylum reception centre to find a municipality for you to settle in. You will be informed which municipality you will be moving to and the reception centre or municipality will follow up on this with you.

If you are staying in private accommodation

What do we mean by private accommodation?

• You are staying in accommodation that is not an asylum reception centre or other accommodation provided by the UDI while you are waiting for your residence permit to be granted. This can include living with family, friends or in your own rented accommodation.
• You must contact IMDi to apply for public settlement within six months of the police informing you about the decision on your residence permit. If you apply after the deadline, you cannot receive settlement with public assistance.

If you are already staying in private accommodation (not an asylum reception centre) and want the municipality to assess you residence for agreed self-settlement, you must do the following:

1. You must contact IMDi to apply for public settlement within six months of the police informing you about the decision on your residence permit. If you apply after the deadline, you cannot receive settlement with public assistance.
2. Contact the municipality where your accommodation is located to find out whether your accommodation can be approved for agreed self-settlement.
3. The municipality will contact IMDi to check whether you are entitled to settlement with public assistance.

Further information about settlement of refugees looking for accommodation themselves can be found here (imdi.no).

Further information about staying in private accommodation and application forms can be found here (imdi.no).

Finding accommodation yourself (agreed self-settlement)

If you have not yet been assigned a municipality by IMDi then you may be eligible for the ‘agreed self-settlement’ scheme.  This means that you will find your own accommodation; however, you must contact the municipality before you sign a tenancy agreement. The municipality will decide whether to approve the agreed self-settlement and how many people it can accept. Not all municipalities offer agreed self-settlement. If the municipality agrees and you have not been assigned a municipality by IMDi, then this will be regarded as settlement with public assistance.

How to apply:

1. Find accommodation.
2. Contact the municipality where the accommodation is located to hear whether it can approve you moving in.
3. The municipality will contact IMDi to check whether you are entitled to settlement with public assistance.
4. Wait until the municipality has approved your application before you sign the tenancy agreement.
5. You should not move out of the asylum reception centre during this process. If you do so, you will lose the option of settlement with public assistance.

Further information about settlement of refugees looking for accommodation themselves can be found here (imdi.no).