At the moment so called “consultancy” firms are advertising nursing or healthcare jobs in Norway, claiming that there are many jobs in that sector to be found and that no International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is required and the permissions are easy to get.
The Philippine embassy in Oslo is now warning Filipino nurses stating that the information is misleading.
“While it is true that IELTS is not required by most health care employers in Norway, this is only because English is not the primary language used in the country,” the embassy says.
The embassy said that foreign nurses and health care practitioners wishing to work in Norway have to pass a much harder Norwegian language exam.
While a Professional Regulation Commission license may not be needed for the processing of a visa application, Norwegian authorities still require such license in order for a foreign health care worker to be properly recognized in Norway.
According to embassy officials, these consultancy firms charge applicants large fees for information and services that they can actually obtain for free.
The embassy has reported the matter to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
The Norwegian embassy in Manila has reiterated its warning about the proliferation of unlicensed Norwegian language schools in the Philippines that entice Filipino nurses. It also urged visa applicants to go directly to the Norwegian embassy.
Source: philstar.com
