Confusion on schengen visitor visa and residence permit in Norway

[w2wtr1]

Hi there guys, Im a new member in this site...I know ur all from UK here and uk embassy in phils has a different rules and guidelines compared to the norway embassy ...i hope u could help us enlighten a bit regarding our situation at the moment... we would really appreciate to hear ur opinion guys.



We applied for visitor/tourist visa last august (1 month processing) got approved and i went here last week of sept..my visa will expired on dec 22, which its the 90th day...last monday, me and my husband went to the local police station here to ask for a guarantee form for residence cuz im going to be needing it to apply for entry visa when i get back to philippines(entry visa is 3 to 4 months of processing where u can apply for residence/work permit here in norway permanently) .



But the filipina staff and the other norwegian woman staff in the police station both told us that 'I DONT HAVE TO GO BACK TO PHILS, since she said, there is a new rule in the UDI or norwegian directorate of immigration (http://www.udi.no) that came out last october 1, stating that since im married already to a norwegian citizen in the philippines, i can now apply for a first time residence or work permit... and she even gave us copies of the application form. they advised me to stay and apply for it now.



We were very confused so they called the immigration officer in utlendingskontoret ( Government Alien's Office- a branch of UDI ) again in alesund city, and the immigration officer there said the same thing again that since im married to a norwegian already in the philippines, then its possible for me to stay here longer and apply for the other visa now even if im just using tourist visa and it will expired on dec 22nd.(BUT THEY SAID, IF WE ARE NOT YET MARRIED AND PLAN TO GET MARRIED HERE IN NORWAY, THEN ITS NOT ALLOWED FOR ME TO APPLY FOR ANOTHER VISA AND I HAVE TO RETURN TO PHILS TO FILE ANOTHER APPLICATION ) but they said, since me and my husband are already married, then its no problem.



We really want to believe her cuz shes one of the people who decides the approval of residence permit, entry visa, family reunification visa etc.. in the Government Alien's Office or utlendingskontoret ( a department branch of UDI or the norwegian directorate of immigration) and she said just to calm or relax us, she said she will ask another department about our case just to make sure that what they are saying in the police station are all correct and the embassy is wrong.. she then asked for the number of my husband so she can call back and after few mins, she called and sounded very sure that i can stay longer here in norway and can apply now for residence permit..she said i dont have to go back home to phils, since im married already to a norwegian citizen in my home country and therefore, has the right to stay here and apply and wait for the result of the other visa.



So what we did, we checked the udi and norway embassy website if theres really a new rule..we found in UDI this : (theres really a new rule that came out oct 1 but it says differently/opposite from what the local police station and the Government Alien's Office is claiming)



**CHANGES IN THE PERMISSION TO APPLY FOR FAMILY IMMIGRATION IN NORWAY:



There has been changes in the immigration regulations section 10 paragraph 2 with effect from 1st. october 2006. The changes concern the exceptions from the main regulation that a work permit or a residence permit must be granted before entry into Norway.

VISITORS VISA AND FAMILY IMMIGRATION

It is no longer possible for applicants' in Norway on a visitors' visa to apply for family immigration with their spouse or cohabitant when they are on a visit in Norway. The visitor who gets married in Norway whiles on visit and wishes to live in Norway together with his/her spouse must now return to their country of residence and apply for family immigration from there. ***

We really are deeply confused. My husband also emailed twice already the norway embassy in the philippines and the head of the visa section namely Wenche Rose Finstad replied twice and she said that Im not able to apply for another visa while on tourist and i should not be staying longer than 90 days...We told Wenche that we are married already in Philippines and the police station in our place and the Government Alien's Office (utlendingskontoret) in alesund city said that i can stay longer and apply for another residence permit now and I dont have to return to Philippines even if my visa expires and I can just wait for the result of the application here in norway... the police station also said that the embassy might not be updated with this new rule yet.


Im just so scared and worried. We dont know who to believe---the norway embassy or the immigration officer here.. Im leaving on dec 17th cuz my ticket is roundtrip and my visa will expired 22nd of december and yet we dont know what to do now...I dont know who is correct and telling the truth and who is not updated with the rule. We dont want to make mistakes now since I dont wanna stay here illegally and I dont wanna be thrown out of this country because my tourist visa expired and im still living here. I cannot risk to be blacklisted if the embassy was right and the police station and the Government Alien's Office ( utlendingskontoret)here are wrong. My husband will be leaving back to work to the ship on monday and he will be gone for a month so we were just doing our best now to know and do everything that is proper to the law and wil not make me an illegal alien.


I just dont understand why Wenche Rose Finstad, the head of the visa section in the norway embassy keep insisting that I should go back in PI when my 90 day tourist is over and that, I can only apply for another visa in my home country, phils, and she insist im not allowed to apply it here. Shes the one deciding who should be approved and denied in the visa (u can see her signature in the visa of ur passport if ur approved) and yet , its confusing that she doesnt know about this new rule??? I wonder why??? I dont really know who to believe and who is saying the truth and who is correct..It was just so ironic. The Government Alien's Office or utlendingskontoret and the police station said the new rule was effective october 1 2006, How come the norway embassy in manila doesnt know about it? Is that possible to happen?

I know ur embassy in UK in phils is a lot different from us but i also used a schengen application for my tourist visa last august...Pls tell me ur opinion about it guys..who do u think is right and saying the truth?

Thank you so much for reading. Hope to hear from u guys soon.

Sincerely,
MrsTarb

[A_flyer]

Follow the advice give in Norway by the local authorities and quickly to avoid any overstay.

Embassies in Manila are dealing only with visas. They are true in what they told you: if you're still needing a visa, you have to go back before the end of the current one and apply for a new one from there.

BUT your situation have change as you're married and so your situation should know be in the hands of the Norvegian local authorities (Embassies abroad do not deliver residency cards).

I don't know exactly the way it works in Norway, but it seems to be very similar to France. My wife went in France with a Fiancé visa (which is a Schengen Tourist visa 1 entry valid for 90 days). When just married, we went at our local authorities to request a permanent stay card. They cancelled the current visa and gave my wife a temporary residency card (with a work permit) in waiting the process the the residency card (she got a 1 year one, that whe are renewing now).

So follow the advice given, get all the papers needed and go to your local authorities to request the residency card. The immigration officer is right.

Good luck and give us feedback on your case.

[w2wtr1]

Hello Yves,

Thank u so much for ur immediate reply. You dont know how much relief u have brought to us. Specially to me since I am the one who's been worried sick about it (I just dont wanna overstay here illegally). My husband was not worrying too much since he had spoken to that immigration officer and she sounded so sure and he keeps assuring me the staff here were telling us correct information. Tomorrow morning we will just go directly to police station to apply for my residence and work permit. Then the police station will forward our papers in UDI and to the Government Alien's Office or utlendingskontoret who reviews and decides the application. Good thing, before I left the Philippines, I took all our necessary documents such as our original marriage certificate and marriage license. Just that I dont have a passport picture anymore but we can take care of it from here.

Funny thing is, we just went to police station to get a guarantee form for visit (so i can apply for entry/permanent visa when I get back to philippines) But if that filipina staff never told us about that new rule, we will never find out about it. Actually, we just plan to get the guarantee form and leave after that. Good thing that filipina staff looked at my passport and then asked why do I need to return back to PI if we are married already. It also helps that she still can speak in tagalog even if shes so fluent in norwegian, that way she can explain it to me easily, but I didnt believe her earlier since the embassy has emailed my husband that I should return home after 90 days and apply from there. Im glad everything is kinda clear now and we can breathe easily. I was just a bit scared cuz it was the head of the visa section in the embassy who has replied to our email so I just instantly believe what she said. Good thing u have explained it to us very well.

Thank u so much and God bless u and ur wife. More power to this forum.

[w2wtr1]

I just wanna find out more about my ticket? Its a round trip, non refundable ticket from KLM and my ''supposedly'' flight back home is on 18th of December. What will happen to my ticket then? Do I need to inform anyone, say KLM about it or something? Thanks for the enlightenment. God speed everyone.

[w2wtr1]

And also my travel health insurance is only valid for 3 months as well...Can I stay here without that medical insurance from Phils?(Is that really so important?) Can I just used my husband's insurance or is it possible for me to apply for it here in norway? Thanks in advance for the reply.

[A_flyer]

I just wanna find out more about my ticket? Its a round trip, non refundable ticket from KLM and my ''supposedly'' flight back home is on 18th of December. What will happen to my ticket then? Do I need to inform anyone, say KLM about it or something? Thanks for the enlightenment. God speed everyone.

For the ticket, you don't have to inform KLM. Not coming at check-in at the date of the ticket will cancel your flight (but not the ticket). You may just lose some money or you can postpone the the flight (it should cost 100€ or be free, depending on the type of ticket) if you plan to go later to the Philippines. Keep the ticket, it's valid 1 year.

Another thing important. As you do not enter directly Norway from the Philippines, you do not have any norway immigration stamp on your passport (you should have a Netherland one when arriving in Amsterdam. So you have no proof of the date when you enter Norway. I just hope you kept the boarding pass of the 2 flights Manila -> Amsterdam and Amsterdam-> Oslo. These boarding pass will be a proof of your entry date in Norway (my Wife had a similar problem and we used them as proof of the entry date). That's the problem of entering Schengen countries and not your destination country.

[A_flyer]

And also my travel health insurance is only valid for 3 months as well...Can I stay here without that medical insurance from Phils?(Is that really so important?) Can I just used my husband's insurance or is it possible for me to apply for it here in norway? Thanks in advance for the reply.

For the travel insurance, just forgot it. Your husband must enroll you on his SSN as soon as you meet their requirements (I suppose you will need the residency card). He have to inquire at ghis SSN for this.

In the middle, if you are sick the doctor must say he is sick and not you (of course if it's women specific pronlems, it will not be possible...). My doctor did this for us, and good for my Wife he speaks English (easier, as translating medical things is not easy for me).

Just avoid any big medical issue in the meantime.

[w2wtr1]

Thank u so much for the response. Me and my husband was really grateful and appreciate u took time out to respond to our inquiry.

We have already contacted the local authorities here in Norway and submitted all the necessary documents they required. Upon hearing ur reply, now Im pretty sure we are doing the right thing. Im glad I can extend my stay here legally and I dont need to return home soon, since the other (permanent )visa when u apply in the philippines is a long process and the one way ticket when i get approved is much more expensive. So far, so good. The police station took all the original copies of our marriage certificate, my birth certificate, proof of his house property, his ITR and his income for last the 3 months. They will then forward it to UDI and to the utlendingskontoret ( Government Alien's Office- a branch of UDI )---at least, thats what we were told. I just wish everything will go fine.
I just have a few question about the health insurance. My husband has never heard about SSN before, he has no idea what it is and how can he include me in his medical insurance. My travel insurance is only good for 90 days and I do have a difficulty in coughing (constantly) since I got here because of the very cold weather. Im just not used to this kind of climate. He wants me to seek a doctor but Im afraid to consult since everything here is so expensive, including doctor fees. (and my current health insurance only covers accident/hospitalization fees). I was thinking if I can use his medical insurance, we could just pay at least half of the price of the doctor's fee. I simply dont want him to shoulder all the bills. But we just dont know exactly how and when can he include me on his health insurance. After I got my residency card? We asked the local police station about it (SSN) but they have no idea as well. Any input from you will be appreciated. Thank you so much for the time and Godspeed to you and your beloved .

[w2wtr1]

I forgot to add also that the immigration here will only return all our original documents after 5 months. Is that really normal?
Thats the only time we will get the result of the application if we are approve or not with the residence/work permit. Do you think they still have reason to deny me? What are the common grounds for denial? We submitted all the necessary documents and we are married already. Im just hoping everything will go fine from there. Thanks a lot and may God bless u more.

[A_flyer]

My husband has never heard about SSN before, he has no idea what it is and how can he include me in his medical insurance.

SSN is just a generic word more used in the US, in Norway I suppose (not sure, I'm not familiar with this country) it's Norwegian National Insurance Scheme (Folketrydgen).

Have a look on this link (Health care in Norway): http://www.awcoslo.org/Sections/Livi..._in_norway.htm

Your husband can inquire at the Human Ressources people at his work if he needs more infos.

I forgot to add also that the immigration here will only return all our original documents after 5 months. Is that really normal?

This is country specific procedure, so I can't answer. As you're married and living together you will surely be granted for the residency there.

Send me a PM, I will give you some clues to find other Filipinas in Norway (I tried to PM you, but it's not possible).

[w2wtr1]

Hello Yves,

Thank you so much for all your help (and the links.) Everything is kinda clear now. At least, we can have breathe a sigh of relief now knowing every papers is in the right hands and no chance that I'll get deported.
I have also tried sending you pm but I got an error message. I dunno exactly what the problem is. I have met a couple of pinays here already who has been residing for more than 10 years in Norway. But that's all. Not much asian people living here in our town I think. Suprisingly, it gets very cold here now but not one hint of snow yet. I become sickly as well because of the cold climate(dry cough and back of the neck pains). Anyway I just wanna say thank you so much again for all the assistance. Much blessings to you and your wife. Merry Christmas.

[KeithD]

Give him some Rep........clcik the little scale top right of his post

[A_flyer]

Thank you so much for all your help (and the links.) Everything is kinda clear now. At least, we can have breathe a sigh of relief now knowing every papers is in the right hands and no chance that I'll get deported.

Yes you can spend a good Christmas in the snow!

Here are 2 links for Filipno association in Norway:
Filippinsk Ressurssenter, website: www.umauas.com
Sacred Heart Filipino Chaplaincy-Oslo, Norway

If you want to find some Filinas there, go on Asawa Forum Archives www.asawa.org/asawa . The forum is closed, but do a search for Norway and you will find some residing in Norway (like Pinayjente).

[w2wtr1]

Thank you very much Yves...I will check them out now. Merry Xmas!!!!