The Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) has published a new practice description explaining how it applies the regulatory provision allowing exemptions from the income requirement in family immigration cases due to particularly strong humanitarian considerations.
The provision in question, Section 10-11, first paragraph of the Immigration Regulations, permits exceptions to the income requirement if compelling humanitarian grounds are present. UNE frequently considers this issue, as nearly half of the approximately 1,000 family immigration appeals it processed last year involved cases where the income requirement had not been met.
Typical cases include situations where the sponsor in Norway cannot work due to serious health problems or receives insufficient disability or pension benefits, as well as cases where children would be significantly affected by a refusal. Each case is assessed individually, taking into account its specific circumstances and the applicable legal framework. However, UNE notes that while a small number of appeals are granted exemptions, the majority are not upheld.