Introduction Programme

You are a resource for your local community, and the introduction programme is a training programme that aims to prepare you to take part in the labour market, or, if relevant, in ordinary education. 

The introduction programme is a training programme that aims to prepare you for work or education in Norway. The programme is for those between the ages of 18 and 55 and who are settled in a municipality by agreement with IMDi.                

The introduction programme is full-time (30-40 hours a week) all year.

Who is eligible for the introduction programme?

All refugees between the ages of 18 and 55 who are settled by agreement with IMDi in a municipality can participate in the introduction programme if they wish and have been settled in the municipality for less than two years.

• The municipality shall offer you a place on an introduction programme as soon as possible and no later than three months after you are settled in the municipality.
• The municipality may choose to offer you a place on an introduction programme if you are between 55 and 67 years of age, or have been settled in the municipality without an agreement with IMDi, and you wish to take the programme.
• If you move to another municipality, you will not be entitled to take the introduction programme in the new municipality if the move has not been agreed with the new municipality. 

What do you do in the introduction programme?

Some parts of the introduction programme are the same for all participants, while other parts are specially adapted to you. The programme may include parental guidance, courses in life management in a new country, work experience and Norwegian language tuition.

If you have not already completed upper secondary education, primary, lower or upper secondary education may form part or all of your programme. 

Integration plan and integration contract

Together, you and the programme adviser will set a goal and a plan for what your introduction programme will include. This plan is your integration plan. If you and your programme adviser do not agree, it is the programme adviser who decides what the content of your introduction programme will be.

You and the programme adviser must also sign an integration contract where you promise to follow the plan and the municipality promises to provide an introduction programme and Norwegian language and social studies tuition. Persons with collective protection do not need to sign a contract.

Work-oriented programme

If you have been granted collective protection and the goal of your programme is work, you must have at least 15 hours of work-oriented activity starting no later than the fourth month of the programme. Examples include work experience at a workplace, part-time work, or a short vocational or industry course. Work experience means that you develop your skills and networks so you can find a regular job, and it gives you the opportunity to practise the Norwegian language.

Financial support

You will be paid while you take part in the introduction programme. This support is called introduction benefit and can be compared to having a salary.

You must pay tax on the introduction benefit. You can talk to your programme adviser about how to do this.

Read more about tax deduction cards and tax returns here.

The municipality pays the introduction benefit. If you receive other financial support, you may receive less. If you give the municipality incorrect information about your income, the municipality may demand that you pay the introduction benefit back. 

Holiday, absence and leave 

• The municipality decides when you can take holidays.
• Programmes lasting one year or more confer a total of five weeks of holiday per year.
• Programmes lasting six months confer two and a half weeks of holiday.
• You are entitled to leave when you are sick, have had a child or if there are other important reasons why you can’t participate.
• You must contact the programme adviser to apply for leave.
• You will be paid less per month if the absence has not been approved by your
• If you have a lot of absence, you may lose the right to participate in the introduction programme

Can you postpone taking the introduction programme? 

If you decline an offer to start the introduction programme or stop, you lose the right to take the introduction programme. Everyone has the right to start the introduction programme within three months of settling in a municipality.

Appeals

You can appeal the introduction programme decision, the plan for your programme, or the implementation of the programme if you believe the municipality has done something that violates your rights. You can appeal to the municipality. The municipality will consider the appeal. The municipality can change the decision. If the municipality decides that the decision should not be changed, the municipality will send the appeal to the county governor. The county governor will then consider the appeal.

The municipality has an obligation to provide guidance on the regulations and how to appeal if necessary. The municipality must also provide information about how to appeal a decision.

Norwegian language tuition in the introduction programme

Everyone between the ages of 18 and 67 is entitled to Norwegian language tuition in the municipality where they live. If you move to another municipality, you retain the right to Norwegian tuition. Your educational background/the number of years you have gone to school in your home country determines how long you are entitled to free Norwegian language tuition. If you have valid leave from tuition, it will be extended by a period equivalent to your leave. 

You are entitled to Norwegian language tuition even if you don’t participate in the introduction programme. In some cases, the right to Norwegian language tuition lasts longer than the introduction programme, and you can continue Norwegian language tuition even if you have completed the introduction programme and have found a job.

Norwegian language tuition will help you to achieve a level that will enable you to start working. The Norwegian language tuition can also be combined with work, for example by taking classes in the evening or online. The municipality can offer you a free Norwegian language test if you so wish. The Norwegian language test can document your skill in the Norwegian language.