Information for applicants who are affected by the situation in Sudan

• parent/parents of children who are Norwegian citizens and who will travel to Norway together with one or more Norwegian children,
• spouses of Norwegian citizens, provided that the person concerned will travel to Norway together with the Norwegian spouse,
• siblings of children who are presumed to be Norwegian citizens, provided that they will travel to Norway together.

For questions about applications for visas and residence permits in Norway, contact the Norwegian embassy in Nairobi (external website), which is the responsible hub station for applications from Sudan.

For more information about where to submit your application for visa or residence permit, please see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs web site (external website).

We cannot give priority in the queue on the basis that the applicant is in Sudan. If you still want your case to be prioritised, you can request priority. We will then make an individual assessment of whether we will prioritise your case. Here you will find more information on how to request priority.

No, ordinary rules and regulations apply. Please follow our guide for more information about family immigration.

Yes.

Due to the outbreak of war in Sudan, all cases concerning return to Sudan were put on hold by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) and the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) in May 2023. The temporary suspension of the duty to return to Sudan has now been lifted. This means that people from Sudan whose asylum application or application for other types of residence permits are finally rejected are no longer allowed to stay in Norway.

People from Sudan who have previously had their application for residence permit rejected, but do not have a case pending with UDI or UNE now, can request a reassessment of their application. The applicants can request a reassesment themselves, or through a lawyer or another representative.

You can follow the guide on this page to find all the criteria for applying for family immigration.

No, there are no changes to the regulations about who is eligible for family immigration from Sudan. Those who can typically apply for family immigration include

• Spouse or child of a person already living in Norway
• Parents who have children under the age of 18 in Norway
• Minors (under the age of 18) who have full siblings who live in Norway

Adult siblings, aunts/uncles, grandparents, nephews/nieces, cousins or other distant relatives are not eligible for family immigration to Norway.

If you have been granted a family immigration permit, and you are unable to travel to Norway by the entry deadline as stated in your permit, we can help you extend your entry deadline. You may call us or send us an e-mail and request to extend your entry deadline.

It depends on your situation and which permit is best suited for your situation. All residence permits have certain requirements that you must fulfil to obtain the permit. Each residence permit has its own requirements.

You must read about the various permits yourself to see which type suits your situation.

You can apply for family immigration if you have a spouse/partner or child in Norway with whom you wish to live.

You can apply for protection (asylum) if you are persecuted or fear persecution or inhumane treatment in your home country.

The duty to return to Sudan is no longer suspended, and UDI is now processing applications for protection from Sudanese citizens. UDI is closely monitoring the general security situation, and we are making individual considerations in light of updated country information.

There are different requirements for obtaining family immigration and for obtaining protection (asylum). You must decide for yourself which permit suits you best.

A residence permit according to the rules on family immigration and a residence permit according to the rules for protection give you different rights and obligations in Norway.

If you are granted family immigration:

• you keep your passport from your home country
• you can travel to your home country if you wish
• you must pay a fee to apply for family immigration
• if you want to renew the family immigration permit, you are dependent on the relationship with the person with whom you have been granted family immigration continuing. For example, if you have been granted family immigration with a spouse or common-law partner, you must still be a spouse or common-law partner in order to renew your permit.
• you may lose your residence permit with your spouse or partner in the event of a break-up. If you have children together, it is possible that you can get a new residence permit.
• there may be certain benefits from NAV that you are not entitled to. If you have questions about this, you must contact NAV.
• there is a requirement that you live in Norway for 3 years to get a permanent residence permit as long as the person you have family immigration with does not have a temporary residence permit as a refugee.

If you are granted protection (asylum):

• you usually get a travel document for refugees, and you cannot keep your passport from your home country
• you are not allowed to travel to your home country
• you get refugee status and extended protection against return to your home country
• you do not pay a fee when you apply
• you have some special rights to benefits at NAV, for example pension rights. If you have questions about this, you must contact NAV.
• you will not lose your permit in the event of a breakup
• you must live in Norway for 5 years to get a permanent residence permit.