Can Your Family Join You in Norway on a Skilled Worker Permit? Spouse, Partner and Children

Many people who research a Norwegian skilled worker permit also ask whether a spouse, partner or children can come too. The answer is neither a simple yes nor a simple no. UDI, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, treats family members as a separate application with its own requirements. This guide summarises what UDI’s pages say for families of non-EU/EEA skilled workers. It is general information, not an assessment of your own case.

Skilled worker families: what UDI’s work pages say

UDI’s skilled worker page says that if you are a skilled worker with an employer in Norway, your family can usually apply to come and live with you. It also says that if your family members apply at the same time as you, you receive the answers to your applications at the same time. For people on an international company assignment lasting more than six months, the page says the spouse or cohabitant and the children can apply for residence permits.

The same page does not set out the family requirements itself. It refers to UDI’s family immigration section. UDI’s skilled worker FAQ says the same: to find out which family members can apply, see family immigration.

Who counts as family

UDI’s page on family immigration with a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA lists these categories: a spouse or registered partner, a cohabitant, a person who will marry in Norway, a child under 18, a child over 18, and a parent moving to adult children. Other family members are considered only where UDI finds strong humanitarian considerations.

For a spouse, a cohabitant and a child under 18, UDI says the person in Norway must have, or have applied for, a skilled worker residence permit. For the other categories, UDI lists a wider set of permits for the person in Norway, including a skilled worker permit with a Norwegian employer. The parent-visit category has an extra condition that the person in Norway is a resident.

The income requirement

UDI’s page states that the person in Norway must have an annual income of at least NOK 436,957 before tax, and that exceptions are possible in some cases. UDI’s separate income page repeats this figure. It adds that for people on a work residence permit such as a skilled worker, there is no requirement for the previous year’s income, only the current figure, and that the income must be probable for at least another year.

According to the same income page, income that counts includes employment income, and the applicant’s own income if the applicant is already lawfully employed in Norway. Financial assistance from Nav and own funds in an account do not count in most categories. The page says UDI always considers whether very special circumstances exist.

The figure on the UDI page carries no date, and UDI updates its amounts from time to time, so check the current amount before you plan around it. It is also separate from the pay level your own permit requires; see salary requirements for a Norwegian work permit.

The 24-year requirement

UDI says both spouses, cohabitants or fiance(e)s must be at least 24 when UDI processes the application, in certain situations. It applies, for example, to a spouse if the marriage took place after the person in Norway moved to Norway. It does not apply if you were married, had children together or had lived together for more than two years before either of you moved to Norway, or if you married or lived together in Norway while both held a Norwegian residence permit or citizenship. UDI also describes exemptions that depend on how likely a forced marriage is, and says the assessment is individual.

What UDI’s pages do not say

• Right to work. The skilled worker page and the family immigration page we read do not say whether a family member may work in Norway. Check the decision letter and UDI before assuming a family member can take a job.
• Processing times and fees. The pages we read give no waiting times, and fees are shown on UDI’s separate fees page.
• Your own situation. Whether a particular partner or child qualifies depends on documents, relationship history and age. Only UDI decides.

If you are not yet a skilled worker

UDI’s family immigration page is built around a person who already has, or has applied for, the permit. A family permit therefore follows the work-permit route; it is not a way around it. The route for the worker is explained in our guides on the skilled worker permit and on applying from abroad. A shortage of workers does not by itself give anyone a permit; see jobs in demand in Norway.

EU/EEA citizens

This guide covers non-EU/EEA skilled workers. EU/EEA citizens and their family members follow different rules and generally do not need a work permit; see our guide on residence permits from other European countries.

Key takeaways

• UDI says families of skilled workers with a Norwegian employer can usually apply, and may apply at the same time as the worker.
• Spouse, cohabitant and child under 18: the person in Norway must have or have applied for a skilled worker permit.
• Income requirement on UDI’s pages: NOK 436,957 a year before tax; the figure is undated, so check it.
• Many spouses and partners must be at least 24, with listed exceptions.
• UDI’s pages we read do not say whether family members may work.

Sources

• Skilled workers (UDI): families can usually apply; same decision timing. News item dated 19 February 2026, otherwise undated; read 26 October 2026.
• Family immigration with a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA (UDI): categories, reference permit, income figure, age. No general date; read twice on 26 October 2026.
• Income requirement in family immigration cases (UDI): current figure, work permit holders, what counts. Linked sub-page updated 29 January 2026; read 26 October 2026.
• Requirement to be at least 24 years old (UDI): who it applies to and exceptions. No date shown; read 26 October 2026.
• FAQ for skilled workers (UDI): refers to family immigration. No date shown; read 26 October 2026.

Related guides: Skilled worker permit in Norway · Work and residence permits: an overview