Work and live in Iceland
Canadian citizens planning to move to Iceland on the basis of a residence permit from the Directorate for Immigration, can find various information on rules and regulations in that regard on the website of the Directorate of Customs.
Below you can find information on moving to Iceland, and the Embassy can also provide further information, if needed.
Those who wish to apply for a residence permit (and work permit) in Iceland must have secured a job in Iceland and signed an employment contract. The employment contract must accompany the application which should be lodged before the applicant arrives in Iceland.
For general information on working and living in Iceland please visit Work in Iceland
Application
Application for a residence permit in Iceland is handled by the Directorate of Immigration and the Directorate of Labour. The applicant must submit the application and the applicable paperwork to the Directorate of Immigration, which forwards the application and the employment contract to the Directorate of Labour for processing.
Processing time
Estimated processing time for applications is 90 days from the date of receiving adequate documentation. If supporting documents are missing or inadequate, the processing time will lengthen. The Embassy would like to advise those who wish to apply to act quickly and hand the application in as early as possible, as long as they have secured a job in the country.
Processing fee
Please visit the website of the Directorate of Immigration in Iceland for detailed information on the processing fee.
Link: Directorate of Immigration - Processing fee
Further information
Please visit the website of the Directorate of Immigration in Iceland for detailed information on the application process, documentation needed, and which steps to take next in order to be given a residence and work permit.
Website: Directorate of Immigration
First steps is a publication from the Multicultural and information Centre (MCC) in Iceland which gives detail about most things one has to consider when immigrating to Iceland. The booklet is available in five different languages and two different sets, one for EEA and EFTA citizens, and the other for non-EEA and EFTA citizens. The booklet is available as an online publication on MCC's website.
The booklet is a good source of information on what to expect for those planning on moving to Iceland.
Website: Multicultural and information Centre