That may come as a surprise to all those who have been through the immigration process in Norway, and learned first-hand that it's tough to gain residence and work permission in the country. It takes at least three years to gain permanent documents, and the rules are strict.
Nordby admits that current laws have left UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet) enforcing restrictive policies. He told newspaper Aftenposten Friday that he wants to move away from the debate between "restrictive" and "liberal" policies, and instead focus on pro-active immigration rules that clearly address the country's labour needs.
"We need to tailor immigration in the future to suit our needs, even though we also must take care of our obligation to protect refugees," Nordby said.
Drafts of new immigration regulations are currently under evaluation, and Nordby wants a new "more dynamic" law that will address future labour market needs, especially given the immigration pressure on Europe.
Today's rules aim at protecting Norwegian workers and contain largely negative criteria. "We need to change that way of thinking," Nordby said, claiming that Norway should invite "exactly the sort of competence we need."
That can involve everyone from highly skilled and highly educated high-tech workers, to unskilled labourers. "Too few dare to say that we have a large need for non-professional workers as well," he said.
UDI, in turn, should be able to have more flexibility in deciding cases, and process cases more quickly and efficiently.
"Even though we don't face as large a population reduction as some other European countries, we need more immigrants to maintain population levels and competence," he said.
