Minimum wage for Non-EU nationals working in Norway

For companies operating in Norway looking to hire highly skilled workers from outside EU, an important factor to consider is the minimum wage requirement. One of the requirements for employees to successfully obtain a work and residence permit to Norway, is that you as the employer offer a wage at least equal to the minimum wage set by Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI). The minimum wage level set by UDI is set to make sure that the employee is not offered a salary that is poorer than what is normal in Norway.

What is the minium wage level?

The minimum wage level is normally decided based on the educational level held by the employee. If you offer a job to an employee holding a bachelor degree, the minimum wage level needs to be at least NOK 448.900,- per year pre-tax.

If you offer a job to an employee holding a master degree, the minimum wage level needs to be at least NOK 480.900,- per year pre-tax.

The minimum wage level set by UDI is normally updated once a year, and the information about minimum wage can be found by reading here.

What are the consequences of not offering sufficient salary to new hires from outside EU?

On a general note, if you as an employer offer a lower salary than what is stated by UDI, the application for work and residence permit to Norway will be rejected. Only if you can provide information that the pay in your industry is lower than what is set by UDI, can UDI evaluate the possibility of accepting applications being put forward to them. If unsure if you as employer can operate under any exemptions for the minimum wage salary, please reach out to us here for advice.

Are there any other obligations to be aware of when offering work to Non-EU nationals?

It is indeed several other obligations to consider if you are planning on offering a job to a NON-EU national in Norway. Please have a look at a previously written article from our side that covers the complete list of requirements more in detail.