United Arab Emirates vs Kingdom of Norway
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Norway government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- UAE Government Portal — Visa & Emirates ID
Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) - verified
- UDI — Norwegian Directorate of Immigration
Utlendingsdirektoratet (UDI) - verified
- UAE Government Portal — Green residence
ICP - verified
- UDI — Skilled workers
UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet) - verified
United Arab Emirates
The UAE issues residence via employer-sponsored work permits, Golden Visa long-term residence for skilled professionals and investors, the Green Visa for self-sponsored skilled workers, and a remote-work visa for overseas employees.
- Languages
- Arabic
- Currency
- UAE dirham
Kingdom of Norway
Norway's immigration is administered by the Directorate of Immigration (UDI). As an EEA member (not EU), Norway participates in free movement for EU/EEA nationals. Third-country nationals require a residence permit for skilled workers, with employer sponsorship and a salary meeting the going rate. Self-employment, family immigration, and student permits are also available. Permanent residence after 3 years of continuous legal residence on a work permit.
- Official portal
- Utlendingsdirektoratet (UDI)
- Languages
- Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian (Nynorsk)
- Currency
- Norwegian krone
How United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Norway differ
| Dimension | United Arab Emirates | Kingdom of Norway |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 6 | 4 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 5 | 1 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 1 | 1 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Qualifying applicants may obtain 5- or 10-year self-sponsored long-term residence. Citizenship remains a separate, exceptional Presidential-decree process. | Skilled worker permit -> permanent residence after about 3 qualifying years -> citizenship after meeting the UDI citizenship residence category. |
| Dominant skilled visa | UAE Green Visa | Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert) |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | — | No fixed published floor |
| Skilled visa processing time | UAE Government Portal — Green Visa does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route. | UDI - Skilled workers does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route. |
| Skilled visa government fees | — | Norway lists NOK 6,300 for an adult skilled-worker residence permit application, with NOK 3,150 for under-18 work applicants and separate first-time family immigration fees. |
| Official languages | Arabic | Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian (Nynorsk) |
| Currency | UAE dirham | Norwegian krone |
| Primary regulator | MOJ | Advokatforeningen |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
United Arab Emirates
UAE Green Visa
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- UAE Government Portal — Green Visa does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route.
- Sponsor required
- No
- Leads to settlement
- No
Kingdom of Norway
Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert)
- Salary minimum
- No fixed published floor
- Government fees
- Norway lists NOK 6,300 for an adult skilled-worker residence permit application, with NOK 3,150 for under-18 work applicants and separate first-time family immigration fees.
- Processing time
- UDI - Skilled workers does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Routes unique to United Arab Emirates
Routes unique to Kingdom of Norway
Visa routes side by side
United Arab Emirates (6)
UAE Golden Visa
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 5 or 10 years depending on category, renewable while the category conditions continue to be met.
UAE Green Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · 5 years, renewable.
UAE Employment (Standard Residence) visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · 2 or 3 years, tied to employer.
UAE Virtual Working Programme
No sponsor · Non-settlement · 1 year, renewable.
UAE Green Residence — investor / business partner
No sponsor · Non-settlement · 5 years, renewable while the investment and activity conditions remain met.
UAE freelance permit with residence
No sponsor · Non-settlement · 2–5 years depending on scheme.
Kingdom of Norway (4)
Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 1–3 years initially; renewable.
Job-Seeker Visa (Oppholdstillatelse for aa soeke arbeid som faglart)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 1 year (previously 6 months — extended to support recruitment); non-renewable.
International Company Assignment Permit
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 2 years at a time; up to 6 years total, followed by 2 years outside Norway before a new permit of this type.
Student Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse for studier)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · 1 year; renewable for duration of studies.
Frequently asked questions
How long does permanent residence typically take in United Arab Emirates vs Kingdom of Norway?+
United Arab Emirates: Qualifying applicants may obtain 5- or 10-year self-sponsored long-term residence. Citizenship remains a separate, exceptional Presidential-decree process.. Kingdom of Norway: Skilled worker permit -> permanent residence after about 3 qualifying years -> citizenship after meeting the UDI citizenship residence category.. Both timelines are route-dependent — see each country’s settlement page for the breakdown per visa.
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, United Arab Emirates or Kingdom of Norway?+
United Arab Emirates’s UAE Green Visa is the dominant skilled route; Kingdom of Norway’s Skilled Worker Residence Permit (Oppholdstillatelse som faglaert) requires No fixed published floor. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does United Arab Emirates or Kingdom of Norway have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
United Arab Emirates has more: 5 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 1 for Kingdom of Norway. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "United Arab Emirates vs Kingdom of Norway immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/uae/vs/norway. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons