Instruction on transfer to Norway of former local employees of Norwegian authorities in Afghanistan

Norway has had several schemes allowing locally employed staff of Norwegian authorities in Afghanistan resettlement to Norway. The Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security has now given a new instruction allowing certain categories of former local employees to apply for relocation to Norway provided that they meet the conditions of the scheme.

In order to have an application processed in accordance with this instruction, a local employee must meet the following criteria:

  • be an Afghan national;
  • have a valid travel document or other documentation that substantiates true identity;
  • have been directly employed as an interpreter or a member of ‘house staff’ (such as a cleaner) by the Norwegian Armed Forces in Afghanistan, or been directly employed by the Norwegian Embassy in Kabul;
  • have documentation from either the Armed Forces or the embassy in Kabul confirming the employment;
  • have been employed after 31 December 2014.

This instruction applies only to persons who have had a direct employment with Norwegian authorities as specified above as well as their close family members (see section 6 in this instruction).

The opportunity to have an application processed in accordance with this instruction does not apply to:

  • persons whose employment with the Armed Forces or the Embassy has been terminated due to security or behavioural reasons, or to persons who have not satisfactorily completed their probationary period;
  • former local employees of the Armed Forces who received a negative response to applications submitted and/or ruled on in 2015 or under GI-06/2015;
  • former local employees of the Norwegian Embassy in Kabul who were covered by the scheme in force at the time the embassy was co-located with Denmark’s embassy in 2015;
  • former local employees who may have worked for the authorities of multiple countries and have already been transferred to another country pursuant to resettlement schemes for former or present employees.

You can find the full text of the instruction here: GI-11/2022 – Instruction on transfer to Norway of former local employees of Norwegian authorities in Afghanistan, in connection with NATO’s international operations in Afghanistan - regjeringen.no.

Written applications under this scheme must be forwarded to post@mfa.no for former local employees at the Norwegian Embassy and to postmottak@fd.dep.no for former local employees to the Norwegian Armed Forces marked “GI-11/2022” by 1 September 2022.