Danish immigration authorities released updated income statistics that will apply to applications submitted after April 1.

Key Points:

  • An applicant’s salary and terms of employment must correspond to Danish standards to be granted a residence and work permit for both first-time and extension applications.
  • Danish authorities use income statistics from the Confederation of Danish Employers to assess whether an offered salary corresponds to Danish standards.
  • An updated version of the income statistics from the fourth quarter of 2024 is now available and will apply to applications submitted after April 1.

Additional Information: Applications for residence and work permits received between Jan. 1 and March 31 will be evaluated according to the income statistics from the third quarter of 2024. Applications for residence and work permits received after March 31 will be evaluated according to the latest income statistics from the fourth quarter of 2024. To find the current and future applicable income statistics, as well as a complete list of the schemes to which this policy applies, find more information here.

Danish authorities update income statistics each quarter and expect the next update will apply from July 1. Employers should consider the income requirements in their 2025 budgets, as well as understand their responsibilities when completing their application forms and employment contracts.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

Danish immigration authorities released new wage statistics for the Positive List for skilled work.

Key Points:

  • The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) published the updated wage statistics that apply to all applications on the Positive List for skilled work submitted on or after Feb. 20.
  • Applications submitted before this date will be assessed according to the previous wage statistics.
  • SIRI assesses applications on the Positive List for skilled work using special wage statistics compiled by Statistics Denmark to assess whether an offered wage corresponds to Danish standards.

Additional Information: SIRI also recently published the new Positive Lists for higher education and skilled work professions experiencing a shortage of qualified professionals in Denmark. The new Positive Lists took effect Jan. 1., adding more positions to the Positive List for People with a Higher Education. The Positive List for Skilled Work has fewer positions as officials stated there were fewer positions in that category that registered a labor shortage. Individuals who have been offered a job included on one of the Positive Lists can apply for a Danish residence and work permit based on their respective scheme. The Positive List is updated twice yearly, on Jan. 1 and July 1.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

Danish immigration authorities announced new fee rates, including a decrease in the fees for processing applications for a residence permit in the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration’s (SIRI) areas of expertise.

Key Points:

  • Foreign nationals who apply for a residence permit on the basis of work or study must generally pay a fee to submit an application.
  • The fee amount is generally determined once a year based on tasks associated with case processing.
  • The new fee rates are as follows:
 Scheme Old 2024 rate New 2025 rate
Business cases/Work-related application for residence and/or work permit (Main applicant) 6,290 DKK (about US$870) 6,055 DKK (about US$837)
Study cases 2,490 DKK (about US$344) 2,255 DKK (about US$311)
Au pairs and interns 4,740 DKK (about US$655) 4,210 DKK (about US$582)
Accompanying family (one application per family member) 2,880 DKK (about US$398) 2,380 DKK (about US$329)

Additional Information: Denmark’s fees for processing applications for residence permits are normally adjusted on Jan. 1 each year. Employers should take the new application fees into account and adjust their budgets if necessary.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

Danish immigration authorities’ new rules for foreign nationals with a residence permit under the authorization scheme are now in effect.

Key Points:

  • As BAL previously reported, Danish immigration authorities relaxed policies for short-term workers on July 1.
  • As part of the changes, an amendment to the Danish Aliens Act allows foreign nationals who have been granted a residence permit under the authorization scheme or who already have a valid residence permit under the authorization scheme to begin work without the need to apply for a separate work permit for employment for adaption and training purposes.
  • The policy change allows foreign nationals with a residence permit under the authorization scheme an exemption from the work permit requirement.
    • The authorization scheme is for specifically requested healthcare professionals and medical doctors, dentists and nurses.

Additional Information: Officials stated that it will also be possible to extend the authorization permit in certain cases if the applicant is in the process of or has been offered employment for adaption and training purposes.

BAL Analysis: The government hopes to provide employers and employees with greater flexibility, support employer recruiting efforts for highly skilled workers and provide greater options for short-term work.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

Danish immigration authorities announced an adjustment of practice for salary declarations.

Key Points:

  • An applicant’s salary and terms of employment must correspond to Danish standards to be granted a residence and work permit for both first-time applications and applications for extension.
  • Effective Sept. 1, when the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) assesses whether the salary corresponds to Danish standards, applications filed after this date must include the salary in Danish kroner (DKK) — SIRI will not accept salary declarations in foreign currency.

Additional Information: If an employment contract contains the salary in a foreign currency, an addendum to the contract must be completed stating the salary in DKK. Danish authorities use income statistics made by the Confederation of Danish Employers to assess whether an offered salary corresponds to Danish standards. An updated version of the income statistics is now available and will apply to applications submitted after July 1.

BAL Analysis: For applications for an extension of a residence and work permit where the original permit was granted before Sept. 1, 2024, salary stated in a foreign currency will be accepted. The foreign currency will be converted into DKK, and a decision regarding the application for extension is based on the exchange rate.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

Danish immigration authorities published the new Positive Lists for professions experiencing a shortage of qualified professionals in Denmark.

Key Points:

  • The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) publishes the Positive Lists of professions where there is a regional or national shortage of qualified professionals.
  • Individuals who have been offered a job included on one of the Positive Lists can apply for a Danish residence and work permit based on their respective scheme.
  • The new Positive List for people with a higher education includes 141 job titles (up from 72), while the Positive List for skilled work includes 61 job titles (up from 38).
  • Project or information technology leaders have been added to the higher education positive list, along with data analysts, programmers and system developers, among others.
  • The skilled work Positive List added information technology support professionals while removing information technology operators, among other changes.

Additional Information: The Positive List is updated twice yearly, on Jan. 1 and July 1. The job titles on the Positive List can be delisted no sooner than two years after the time they were added. For a complete list of included job titles, find more information here.

BAL Analysis: The Positive Lists are an important component of Danish immigration policy that designate shortage occupations and allow individuals in these professions to receive residence and work authorization in Denmark. If an individual’s job title was removed from the Positive List, they are still entitled to renew their permits if they qualify under the renewal conditions. Employers should be aware of the updated Positive Lists and understand the conditions and responsibilities when offering applicable positions.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

Danish immigration authorities are relaxing policies for short-term workers, family reunification and bank requirements beginning July 1.

Key Points:

  • Foreign nationals under the short-term fast-track residence permit scheme can extend their stay and continue working more easily within their 90-day period starting July 1.
    • Employees can continue working without providing new biometric data or a new identification check to authorities and do not have to obtain a provisional work permit.
    • The short-term fast-track permit still only allows for a maximum stay of 90 days within a 12-month period, but this change will allow greater flexibility to employees within the 90-day period.
  • Dependents of certain Danish nationals will now be eligible for a standard dependent permit to simplify family reunification effective July 1.
    • Dependents previously needed to apply under the more complex family reunification scheme and now may qualify for the same permit that dependents of foreign nationals use to simplify the reunification process.
  • Finally, the requirement for certified companies to have a bank account in Denmark to employ foreign nationals will be eliminated effective July 1. Employees under the fast-track scheme also do not need to have a Danish Bank account.

BAL Analysis: The government hopes to provide employers and employees with greater flexibility as well as make it easier for Danish nationals and their families to return to Denmark. These policy changes should also support employer recruiting efforts for highly skilled workers and provide greater options for short-term work.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

Danish immigration authorities released the updated income statistics that will apply to applications submitted after April 1.

Key Points:

  • An applicant’s salary and terms of employment must correspond to Danish standards to be granted a residence and work permit for both first-time and extension applications.
  • Danish authorities use income statistics from the Confederation of Danish Employers to assess whether an offered salary corresponds to Danish standards.
  • An updated version of the income statistics from the fourth quarter of 2023 is now available and will apply to applications submitted after April 1.

Additional Information: Applications for a residence and work permit received between Jan. 1 and March 31 will be evaluated according to the income statistics from the third quarter of 2023. Applications for residence and work permits received after March 31 will be evaluated according to the latest income statistics from the fourth quarter of 2023. To find the current and future applicable income statistics as well as a complete list of the schemes to which this policy applies, find more information here.

BAL Analysis: Danish authorities update income statistics each quarter. Employers should consider the income requirements in their 2024 budgets, as well as understand their responsibilities when completing their application forms and employment contracts.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

Danish immigration authorities published the new Positive Lists for professions experiencing a shortage of qualified professionals in Denmark.

Key Points:

  • The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration publishes the Positive Lists of professions for which there is a regional or national shortage of qualified professionals.
  • Individuals who have been offered a job included on one of the Positive Lists can apply for a Danish residence and work permit based on their respective scheme.
  • The new Positive List for people with a higher education includes 72 job titles, while the Positive List for skilled work includes 38 job titles.

Additional Information: The Positive Lists are updated twice a year on Jan. 1 and July 1. The job titles on the Positive Lists can be delisted no sooner than two years after the time they are added. For a complete list of the applicable job titles, please find more information here.

BAL Analysis: The Positive Lists are an important component of Danish immigration policy that designate shortage occupations and allow individuals in these professions to receive residence and work authorization in Denmark. If an individual’s job title is removed from a Positive List, they are still entitled to renew their permit if they qualify under the renewal conditions. Employers should be aware of the updated Positive Lists and understand the conditions and responsibilities when offering applicable positions.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2024 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.

Danish immigration authorities released updated income statistics, which will apply to residence and work permit applications submitted from Jan. 1, 2024.

‌Key Points:

  • An applicant’s salary and terms of employment must correspond to Danish standards to be granted a residence and work permit for both first-time and extension applications.
  • Danish authorities use income statistics from the Confederation of Danish Employers to assess whether an offered salary corresponds to Danish standards.
  • An updated version of income statistics with information from the third quarter of 2023 is now available and applies to applications submitted from Jan. 1, 2024.

Additional Information: Applications for residence and work permits received between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 will be evaluated according to the income statistics from the second quarter of 2023. Current and future income statistics as well as a complete list of the schemes to which this policy applies are available here.

BAL Analysis: Danish authorities update income statistics each quarter; the next update will be on April 1, 2024. Employers should consider the income requirements in their 2024 budgets and understand their responsibilities when completing application forms and employment contracts.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

Copyright © 2023 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.