If your organisation sponsors Skilled Worker residence permits for employees moving to Norway, there is a compliance update you need on your radar. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) has raised the minimum salary thresholds that apply to Skilled Worker permits where no collective agreement governs, with the change already in effect.

What has changed

UDI's updated guidelines were published on 4 June 2026, but they apply retroactively from 1 May 2026. The new minimum annual salary requirements are:

Bachelor's degree (3+ years higher education): NOK 545,400 — up from NOK 522,600

• Master's degree (5+ years higher education): NOK 624,700 — up from NOK 599,200

These thresholds apply specifically to Skilled Worker permit applications for roles that are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Where a collective agreement does apply, the employee must be paid at least the agreed rate for their role — regardless of the figures above.

Why this matters: this is the second increase in less than a year — thresholds also rose in September 2025. Norway reviews these figures regularly, so treat compliance as an ongoing process, not a one-time check.

Who is affected

Any employee holding, or applying for, a Skilled Worker residence permit in a role without a collective agreement is affected. This typically includes many specialist, technical, and management positions filled through direct company sponsorship rather than sector-wide wage agreements.

What HR and Global Mobility teams should do now

• Review pending applications. Any Skilled Worker application still in progress should be checked against the new figures before UDI processes it.

• Audit current employment contracts and job offers. Offers extended before 1 May 2026 that fall below the new thresholds may need to be revisited before an application is filed or renewed.

• Update your budgeting and offer templates. Build the new minimums into salary bands for any Norway-bound roles going forward.

• Document exceptions carefully, if relevant. UDI allows employers to justify a lower salary in exceptional cases, with substantial evidence that the proposed rate is standard for that occupation and location — but the burden of proof sits with the employer.

The bigger picture

Salary threshold increases are becoming a recurring feature of Norwegian labour immigration policy, generally reviewed in line with wage growth. For companies that relocate talent to Norway regularly, this is a strong argument for building a standing compliance check into your mobility process, rather than reacting each time a new figure is published.

Pytheas works directly with HR and Global Mobility teams to keep sponsored roles compliant with current UDI requirements, from reviewing offers before they go out to managing the permit application itself. If you'd like us to check your current Norway-bound roles against the new thresholds, get in touch.