Part 3: Preparing to return to Norway

On returning to Norway, you may find that your right to benefits under the National Insurance Scheme has been lost or reduced. More details are given under the section 2.2 on the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme on page 19.
If you do not have a job to return to, for example if you have not been granted a period of leave from your place of work in Norway to accompany your spouse/cohabitant abroad, you should start looking out for job advertisements as the time of your return to Norway approaches.

If you want help getting back to work again, you can register as a job seeker on nav.no. Experience has shown that maintaining close contact with your professional network in Norway can also be very useful.

ANSA, the Association of Norwegian Students Abroad, has a network that can help you to make contact with potential employers on your return. It also arranges events such as career days.

Some children find it difficult to start at or return to school in Norway after several years abroad. The Ministry has prepared a pamphlet entitled ‘You have a new pupil in the class’ (Du har fått en ny elev i klassen – Norwegian only), which provides advice to schools on how they can help children settle in to their new school. The pamphlet is available on the family portal on regjeringen.no. It is a good idea to print it out and send it to your child’s new school.

Primary and lower secondary education are compulsory in Norway. Children and young people are entitled to receive public primary and lower secondary education in accordance with the Education Act and associated regulations. Primary and lower secondary pupils have the right to attend the school closest to their home or a school in the catchment area to which they belong.

Norwegian schools cannot hold a place for a child while you are abroad, and you can only apply for a place once the family has moved back to its registered address in Norway (this also applies to families who move internally in Norway). However, the Ministry recommends that families contact the school before they return home. If it would be helpful for the family, the Ministry can write to the school asking it to take account of the child’s and the family’s need for predictability on their return to Norway. You can contact the Section for Recruitment and Personnel (SECT-RecruitmentAndPersonnel@mfa.no) for advice and guidance.

Once a year, the Ministry arranges a meeting for parents to discuss difficulties they may encounter on their return to Norway. The meeting is led by a psychologist.

FAMILY POLICY COMMITTEE
The family policy committee is an advisory body in the Ministry made up of representatives of the employer, the civil service organisations and UD-partnerne. UD-partnerne is an interest group for accompanying spouses/ cohabitants. It can be contacted by email at: UDpartnerne@yahoo.no.