NOKUT (National Agency for Educational Quality) received a total of 8,613 higher education approval applications in 2017. This figure increased by 12 percent from 2016. The three countries receiving the most applications are now Syria, Poland and the United Kingdom, NOKUT reports.

The number of applicants for foreign higher education approval from both Syria and the UK increased by 25 percent from 2016 to 2017.

• Also read: Anwar got passport number 1 – now he will study at HiOA

– Although the large flow of refugees from Syria has reduced, it will take time before they apply to us for approval. This explains why Syria is at the top of the list. In addition, we are seeing an increase in the number of applicants from countries where labor immigration is usually high and there are many Norwegian international students. This applies, among others, to the United Kingdom and the United States, said Stig Arne Skjervendirector of overseas education at NOKUT.

NOKUT also expects increased growth in job applications in 2018. Our forecast predicts the number of applicants with similar qualifications from Syria to be the same as last year, while at the same time we estimate the number of applicants from countries traditionally with high labor immigration, such as Poland, Great Britain and Lithuania, will continue to rise.

More than 60 percent of people who applied for approval came from European countries, and Eastern European countries clearly constituted the majority among them. – The main reason is labor immigration, says Skjerven. – Refugee countries such as Syria, Iraq, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Iran, account for around 20 percent of the number of refugee applications.