Immigration from Poland sets new record

Norway has been a popular destination for workers from Poland for years, and now their families are arriving as well. Children from Poland now make up the biggest immigrant group in local schools and day care centers.

Many families stay behind in Poland when the father, most typically, travels to Norway for months at a time. Now, however, more Polish families are coming along.

The children attend a so-called "transitional" class until their Norwegian proficiency is good enough that they can join a regular class. The number of Polish children in such classes in Oslo was up 40 percent last year, over 2005.

Nearly 2,000 Polish workers applied to bring their families to Norway last year, double the number of applications the year before.