Norwegian Dictaton Test?

[Masada]

3. If there aren't any laws like that, they'll at least have to document that they each have 2000 Nok ($370 USD) in funds for each day they intend to stay in Norway. That's a funny little law to make sure everyone who comes to Norway have enough money to live, but it's only really enforced when we want to keep out people we expect are only here to cause trouble (hooligans, East-European criminals, foreign prostitutes, etc.).

Now Australia used to have a similar test used for much the same reasons. This test commonly called the 'Dictation Test' was part of the Cwn'th Immigration Restriction Act 1901. This little number requried that:

Any person who when asked to do so by an officer fails to write out at dication and sign in the presence of the officer fifty words in length in any European language directed by the officer [will be booted out of the country]

This was apparently a Bad Thing to have on the books and horribly racist. Granted, it was. Woooo testing people in Scots Gaelic. But I have to ask: is Norway's law all that much different?

 

[Arwon]

A lot of countries have visa requirements along those lines. I'm pretty sure when I got my student visa for Spain I had to demonstrate X amount of Euros available to me for the year.

I'd hope working visas don't have such requirements and I'm damn sure humanitarian ones wouldn't.

 

[Masada]

A lot of countries have visa requirements along those lines. I'm pretty sure when I got my student visa for Spain I had to demonstrate X amount of Euros available to me for the year.

Was that used to keep the rif-raff out?

 

[Camikaze]

Lots of places (Norway included) won't let you in as a tourist if you can't demonstrate sufficient funds. It doesn't seem surprising to me that there would be financial requirements for immigrants as well. However, this would seem to be something to be applied discriminatively, seeing as it's pretty ridiculous to expect people to have $370 a day if they plan to stay for 50 years. The post you quote by Cheetah seems to suggest that that is the case. In which case it is a Bad Thing, in the same sense as the dictation test. Norway could just refuse those with a criminal record if that's what they're worrying about. If you are wanting to keep out 'undesirables', then assuming you're not discriminating on the basis of country of origin, you can come up with other criteria. The only people who would be kept out by this that couldn't be kept out by some sort of reasonable criteria are people who you have no reason to be keeping out.

 

[wolfigor]

It doesn't seem surprising to me that there would be financial requirements for immigrants as well.

In most countries in EU it is mostly about declaring/demonstrating that you have a suitable way to support yourself (e.g. job, partner that pay for you, bank deposits, etc).
You also have to demonstrate that you have a valid health coverage (or insurance) for the same period.

Things change as soon as you get a legal full time job in the host country: at that point you fully enter the "system".
You will pay your contribution to health care and you will not have any more requirements or need for health insurance.

There is also the possibility to have a local "sponsor" that becomes the guarantee for your support and expenses (but I don't know the requisites for the sponsor).

What I don't know is how strict they are about these parameters for immigrants, and for sure they don't apply to refugee and asylum seekers (they jump the "immigration queue" and they have no wealth requirement to fulfill).

Obviously things are easier if you come from another EU country.

Anyway this is a generalization, for detailed rules and conditions one can always have a look at the appropriate page:
http://www.udi.no/Norwegian-Directorate-of-Immigration/
It's in english and very well explained

 

[Snorrius]

This was apparently a Bad Thing to have on the books and horribly racist. Granted, it was. Woooo testing people in Scots Gaelic. But I have to ask: is Norway's law all that much different?

It is not racist, it is linguist. It is not directed towards certain race, though arbitrary choice of any language makes such approach a bit strange.

 

[Masada]

It was used to keep out primarily Asians, there's no question of that: we know it was, our first Prime Minister Edmund Barton said as much. The whole reason Australia had to go and do it all cloak and dagger like wasn't because it wanted to be on the down-low, Australia was quite happy to pass legislation barring Asians from Australia. However the Japanese, British allies at the time, made some not insignificant noise about the whole matter and Australia was asked by the British to back down - and to consider Indian and Commonwealth feelings! - and find some other means of doing it. This was done under sufferance and with not a little dragging of feet, but the net effect of the dictation test was exactly the same. Australia barred Asians from entry until after the Second World War, when the first few exceptions were allowed. And even then it wasn't until the mid-to-late 60s that it became possible for Asians to enter the country on the regular. That it was a rather good at keeping out Communists was just a happy side-effect.

 

[Tee Kay]

Requirements for an Australian student visa

To get a visa to study in Australia you must show the Australian Immigration authorities that you have enough money to pay for your travel, education and living costs for you and your family unit members while you are in Australia.

 

[Atticus]

Well the Australian law you mentioned is very different, since it gives practically reason to refuse any person that tries to get in. In the Norwegian law people with money do get in.

 

[GoodGame]

A lot of countries have visa requirements along those lines. I'm pretty sure when I got my student visa for Spain I had to demonstrate X amount of Euros available to me for the year.

I'd hope working visas don't have such requirements and I'm damn sure humanitarian ones wouldn't.

I had to demonstrate a salary just to move between states to get into a new apartment. Some will just do credit checks.

 

[Camikaze]

Requirements for an Australian student visa

That's not immigration in general, though, and is something that would actually be both enforced and reasonable to meet. Student visas are going to be more stringent, because you are coming specifically to use a service that you'll have to pay quite a large amount for, whilst you are precluded from gaining full-time employment.

 

[Tee Kay]

That's not immigration in general, though, and is something that would actually be both enforced and reasonable to meet. Student visas are going to be more stringent, because you are coming specifically to use a service that you'll have to pay quite a large amount for, whilst you are precluded from gaining full-time employment.

Oh well, international students often apply for Permanent Residency after they finished their studies.

 

[aelf]

Oh well, international students often apply for Permanent Residency after they finished their studies.

Permanent Residency? Is the system that generous?

So, what are my chances of claiming political asylum in Australia if I piss off my authoritarian government?

 

[Tee Kay]

Permanent Residency? Is the system that generous?

It seems so at first glance, doesn't it?

So, what are my chances of claiming political asylum in Australia if I piss off my authoritarian government?

Not sure. You have to be able to prove that your life is genuinely at risk. And Singapore is kind of an ally.

But most importantly remember to come by plane and not by boat.