Frequently Asked Questions — Employers
Find answers to common questions about hiring and managing seasonal workers.
Yes. In Norway, recruitment is permitted for agriculture and forestry under UDI seasonal permit rules. In Germany, recruitment from non-EU countries is managed via bilateral placement agreements between the Federal Employment Agency (BA) and the partner country's labor ministry.
In Norway, workers must be paid according to the collective agreement (Tariffavtale) for agriculture, which sets specific hourly rates. In Germany, the statutory national minimum wage (Mindestlohn) applies to all seasonal workers regardless of origin.
In Norway, a seasonal permit is granted for a maximum of 6 months within a 12-month period. In Germany, seasonal employment is generally limited to 90 days per year to qualify for social security exemptions.
The end-to-end process typically takes 2 to 4 months. In Norway: Once the worker provides biometrics at VFS Global (Bangkok/Hanoi), UDI's standard processing time for seasonal work is approximately 4 to 8 weeks. However, during peak harvest preparation, wait times can increase. In Germany: The process usually takes 8 to 12 weeks. This includes the time for the Federal Employment Agency (BA) to approve the labor request and the German Embassy to issue the visa. Recommendation: Employers should finalize recruitment and start the digital application at least 3 to 4 months before the intended start date to ensure the worker arrives on time.