🇳🇴 Norway · MNL → OSL

Hire Filipino workers in Norway

Licensed recruitment of skilled Filipino professionals for Norwegian employers. Your company is the direct employer — we run selection in Manila, the Norwegian permit process and the Philippine exit formalities end to end. From 1 worker.

Route Residence permit for skilled workers Typical timeline 1–3 months Minimum 1 worker

How recruitment works

Every Norwegian project runs on the same backbone: you define the roles, headcount and start date; our own DMW-licensed agency in Manila, Prime Search, sources and trade-tests candidates; you approve the shortlist (on-site or online); and we manage the Norwegian permit process under your power of attorney while the Philippine side — contract verification, medical, pre-departure orientation and the Overseas Employment Certificate — runs in parallel. The employment contract is signed and verified before departure; your new employee lands, completes local onboarding and clocks in.

The Norwegian specifics below are the part that makes Norway different from every other market we serve.

Licensing: Recruitment in the Philippines runs through our own DMW-licensed agency (Prime Search); delivery in Norway follows Norwegian licensing and immigration rules. Our EU delivery entity (Orienta Czech) supports the process cross-border under the freedom to provide services, subject to Norwegian requirements.

Norwegian immigration and work-permit route

Residence permit for skilled workers. Norway is outside the EU but inside Schengen and the EEA. Non-EU nationals need a residence permit for skilled workers: a completed vocational training of at least three years at upper-secondary level or higher education, and a job offer at Norwegian pay. Unskilled roles are not eligible, so we qualify every profile before sourcing.

  1. Qualification check against UDI's skilled-worker definition.
  2. Employer offer at Norwegian pay and conditions; application via UDI's portal.
  3. Biometrics in Manila; permit; registration with the police in Norway.

Labour-market test: No test; the skill requirement and pay level are the filter.

Shortage occupations: No list; qualification level decides.

Authorities involved: UDI (Directorate of Immigration) · Norwegian Embassy / VFS Manila. Rules change; we confirm the current position for your role before you commit, and we tell you the honest number — not the marketing one.

Employer requirements

  • Documented vocational training or degree matching the role.
  • Pay at the collective-agreement or normal Norwegian level.
  • Housing information for the application.

DMW / MWO process on the Philippine side

Deploying a Filipino worker abroad is regulated by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). The MWO with jurisdiction for the Nordics verifies employers and contracts; we confirm the current assignment before deployment. The verified contract, together with the job order approved by the DMW, allows the worker to obtain the Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) — the exit clearance without which no Filipino worker can legally leave for a job abroad. Pre-employment orientation, medical examination at a DOH-accredited medical clinic authorised to examine overseas Filipino workers and pre-departure orientation complete the sequence. Because we operate the licensed agency ourselves, this runs in parallel with the Norwegian permit rather than after it.

Timeline

Typical gate-to-gate time for Norway is 1–3 months from signed engagement to the first arrival, driven mainly by the Norwegian permit and the embassy appointment in Manila. Sourcing and trade testing usually take two to four weeks and are not on the critical path. We give you a written timeline for your specific role before you commit.

Typical professions for Norway

Sectors where Norwegian employers most often hire Filipino workers through us:

  • Healthcare
  • Industrial trades
  • Shipbuilding & offshore services
  • Construction

Costs and commercial model

Our contractual partner is the employer, and it is the employer we invoice for the service. You receive an individual offer for Norway covering sourcing, trade testing, documentation, the permit process and arrival support — there is no price list, because volumes, roles and the Norwegian route differ from project to project. Direct employment means the worker's wage is paid by you under your Norwegian contract; there is no intermediary employer.

What a typical Norway project looks like

A Norwegian employer briefs us on roles and headcount. Within two to four weeks we present trade-tested candidates from Manila with video assessments; the employer interviews online and approves. We file the residence permit for skilled workers under power of attorney while Prime Search completes the DMW documentation. The employment contracts are signed and MWO-verified before departure; on arrival the workers complete registration and local onboarding and start on the floor — with our team reachable for the first months of integration. Whether the project is one specialist or a full shift, the mechanics are identical.

Frequently asked questions — Norway

  • Do Filipino welders qualify as skilled?

    Often yes, with documented TESDA training and work history; we assess documents against UDI criteria first.

  • Is Norwegian required?

    Not for the permit; healthcare roles require a language pathway for authorisation.

  • How fast is UDI?

    Typically one to three months once the application is complete.