Hello everyone

It's cold and has lots of fjords.
Would you like any more specific information?

Aseel9 wrote:

Could anyone please give me some information about norway

Hello Aseel9, your question is a lil unclear, can you pls specify what kind of information are you looking for about Norway?

The current government is not very open to immigrants and refugees.  They have made certain welfare benefits more stringent for immigrants and refugees. 

This government has just been re-elected for another 4 years.  it kinds of tell you what the general norwegian citizens feel since they are the ones who re-elected them back.

Norwegian economy is in a decline and very difficult to find a job.  Pay has been stagnant for the last couple of years due to oil prices but cost of living is still increasing.

Sounds depressing?  It is what it is ....the golden days of Norway is over.

I would not be so negative about the situation in general. The government is definitely more strict now and unskilled jobs are more difficult to find.
This is mainly to the oil industry having let go a number of people and most jobs being taken by them.
There is still room for growth but this pretty much only applies to specific fields, mostly technical.
Coming here as anything but a skilled worker, possibly with a job or at least a few interviews already scheduled, is definitely a risk.

The biggest problem with Norwegian economy is that it is relying so much on its oil and gas industry.  When oil prices plunges, almost 60% of its economy get into a problem.    They have the last 30 years to try to diversify their economy but they did not.  They believe the good old days will continue till forever.

Even their massive oil fund......there was a prediction that if oil prices continue to be that low, the oil fund will get depleted in 25 years.

The oil fund is called oil fund because the money in it came from the oil industry, not because its value is based on oil
Currently it's valued over 1 Trillion USD. I'd say it's healthy. Currently the state is curbing spending, which is what they should do since yes, they know the oil industry is tanking.

I am also prone to say you just made up that 60%. The whole of the oil industry only accounts for 14% of the GDP.

Italyinnorway wrote:

The oil fund is called oil fund because the money in it came from the oil industry, not because its value is based on oil
Currently it's valued over 1 Trillion USD. I'd say it's healthy. Currently the state is curbing spending, which is what they should do since yes, they know the oil industry is tanking.

I am also prone to say you just made up that 60%. The whole of the oil industry only accounts for 14% of the GDP.

You have not considered all the services that are linked to oil industry.  DNV is also having declining of sales.  Even the consultancy companies in IT etc like Accentures are having trouble getting IT projects from Oil companies.

I am still quite sure the oil industry induced gdp is not 60% of the country's economy

fornight wrote:

The current government is not very open to immigrants and refugees.  They have made certain welfare benefits more stringent for immigrants and refugees. 

This government has just been re-elected for another 4 years.  it kinds of tell you what the general norwegian citizens feel since they are the ones who re-elected them back.

Norwegian economy is in a decline and very difficult to find a job.  Pay has been stagnant for the last couple of years due to oil prices but cost of living is still increasing.

Sounds depressing?  It is what it is ....the golden days of Norway is over.

This isn't correct. First of all, Norway is one of the countries in Europe that receive most refugees.Only Sweden and Germany and possibly UK recieve more.

And welfare benefits is just the same as long as you got citizenship.

Also, the economy is not decline at all. It's actually better than ever.

Where did you get this nonsense from?

Geira wrote:

This isn't correct. First of all, Norway is one of the countries in Europe that receive most refugees.Only Sweden and Germany and possibly UK recieve more.

http://www.newsinenglish.no/2017/08/24/ … -plummets/

Just two years after more than 30,000 refugees arrived in Norway, the  country's share of all asylum seekers in Europe has declined dramatically. Norway also ranks high in rejecting asylum seekers, and in forcibly sending them out of the country.


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world … 12966.html

Refugee crisis: Norway tells 5,500 foreigners who arrived on bikes to ride back across the border to Russia


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04 … -to-leave/

Norway offers to pay asylum seekers £1000 bonus to leave the country

The immigration minister has already told EU that Norway will not accept more.

Geira wrote:

And welfare benefits is just the same as long as you got citizenship.

Also, the economy is not decline at all. It's actually better than ever.

Where did you get this nonsense from?

Citizenship?  How is it possible to get citizenship when it is already so difficult to get permanent residency?

Have you been keep track of the welfare benefits?  The one for cash for care benefits?  They have set a requirement that the parent must have stayed in Norway for 5 years before they can receive cash for care for their child ?  That was implemented in July this year.

Geira wrote:

Also, the economy is not decline at all. It's actually better than ever.

Where did you get this nonsense from?

I just recently heard of more retrenchment in big companies in Norway.  Why retrenchment when economy is getting better?

https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/n … rts-claim/

Oilfield service giant Technip FMC is to cut 80 jobs in Norway, according to local media.

https://www.thelocal.no/20170926/what-e … -in-norway

In 2015, Norway's parliament rushed through legislation in to allow deportations of people, mainly Syrians, trying to enter the country. The plight of migrants, mainly from Syria, attempting to get into Norway by cycling across the artic border crossing shared by Russia sparked intense debate on the issue.

The refugee crisis, which saw over 31,000 people apply for asylum in Norway, led to several changes on family reunification regulation in Norway. Stricter reform proposals were steered to some degree by the Progress Party with new rules in terms of economic self-sufficiency, and an increase in waiting periods was debated.

Regarding the asylum seekers, it's correct that Norway had to do something when it came more than twice that normally came. Over 30.000 people was too many for Norway to handle. Norway already have 900.000 with foreign origin. How many asylum seekers do get asylum in Singapore?

And the so called "bonus" is nothing new, and have been around for at least ten years. It has nothing to do with them being unwanted. It's an OFFER to help those who want to go back.

Regarding jobs; Norway has the lowest registered unemployed persons in years. Even if oil business is down, it doesn't mean that every other fields are down also. Norway is actually coping very well to global challenges. And there is also optimism in the oil business and future developments.

It's not very different to get a citizenship in Norway than many other countries. Actually, I know it even easier. And with very lucrative welfare benefits I understand Norway very well that they can't let everyone in and give them citizenship. It's already 2,2 million (almost 900.000 between 16 and 67 years old) people that get these benefits! With only 5,1 million people you do the math! How many live on benefits in Singapore?