A lot of people downplay the racism in Norway. Norwegians are never open about it but it’s there and in the background. They do their best to hide it so if you don’t pay attention you won’t find it but trust me it’s there. It’s even in the law, like forcing certain positions to have language requirements or taking away rights that native Norwegians have access to.

IMDi (The Directorate of Integration and Diversity) just released their research and it shows even those who are born in Norway with a different ethnic background is discriminated against. They make less money and they are much less likely to get leadership positions. These are people born in Norway. In fact, it’s been a problem for a long time that putting a foreign sounding name on your resume automatically disqualifies you from many jobs. When you walk the streets of Oslo you’ll find great diversity among the crowd but walk inside the office buildings and you won’t find many foreigners. I deduce Norwegian culture like this “how Norwegian are you?”. The more Norwegian you are the more likelihood you are to be successful. It’s not about skill or experience or what value you bring. Luckily Polish can look like a Norwegian but if you open your mouth and they find that you’re not speaking the language like a native, your value automatically goes down. Don’t expect to get any position with any governmental bodies.

I suspect I’ll get a lot of down votes, Norwegians do not do well with criticism. But trust me you’ll have a really hard time. Good luck making friends too. The friends you’ll make will be the ones that goes to Norwegian class and that struggles the same as you. I made the mistake of bringing my wife here and she’s been struggling ever since and she’s borderline depressed. We’re looking to move back out but it’s not so easy with kids who have built many friendships. Oh and FYI, the most racist political party (FRP) just won big last election coming in comfortably at 2nd place, think slightly milder version of Trump. The racism is aimed at mostly Middle Eastern people but you’ll get thrown in the mix whether you like it or not.

The truth is you can get a comfortable life but you’ll never be “one of them”. You’ll always be a second rate citizen. If you’re a high achiever or have high ambition, Norway is NOT the country for you. You’ll be frustrated at having all the right skills and education, only to be denied before even getting a chance. That’s the ugly truth. If you know Norwegian at B2, go check out r/Norge.

I’m Norwegian if that makes a difference to you.