Work permit fee removed
As from this autumn, students from countries outside the EU or the EEA will no longer have to pay work permit fees every time they take a new job.
På norskLast week, Universitas wrote about the increase in fees for students from countries outside the EU and the EEA. The fee involves that international students living and working in Norway have to pay 1100 kroner every single time they take a part-time job in addition to their studies. As from this autumn, however, the fee is to be removed.
According to Heikki Holmås, a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs at the Storting (the Norwegian Parliament), there are several reasons to why the fee is removed.
- The fee has been very unfair to foreign students. In addition, the fact that the students have had to pay this fee every time they take a new job has been a time strain on the bureaucracy. This will make life easier for everyone, Holmås says.
- Why does the department so suddenly change their mind on one of their own decisions?
- The reason why the fee was increased in the first place was to make up for increased administrative costs, but this has been very unfair to the international students. We were only recently made aware of this fact.
From next year onwards, the work permit fee will be included in the study fee.
- A step in the right direction
Robin Sande, executive for international affairs at the Student Parliament is very pleased with the decision.
- This is a big step in the right direction, where the goal is to integrate the foreign students, he says.
- The removal of this fee may contribute to helping the international students feel more included in the Norwegian student environment.
The decision does not come as a surprise to Sande.
- Several student organisations have been working on this for a long time, and I would be more surprised if all that work had lead to nothing.
Not fully pleased
Eton Williams, president of the International Student´s Union on the national level, believes it would be really great if the fee is actually removed. However, he believes that the government at the same time should remove the fee of 1100kr that international students have to pay in order to receive a student permit.
- It used to be free to apply for a student permit. The fee was brought in to cover administration costs. When you add to this that you have to stand for 2 hours at 6 in the morning to apply for a permit, it is not strange if international students will not recommend Norway when they return home.
Heikki Holmås says that so far there are no plans to remove the fee for residence and work permits completely.
- But this is something that can be addressed in the budgetary discussions.
