🇩🇰 Work & skilled workers

The 9 October announcement ends the processing suspension for the cases that had been placed on hold by the Danish Immigration Service. The Service is resuming the processing of those applications following the National Police’s assessment that the consequences for the Criminal Register were very limited. This is a resumption of administrative processing, not a new immigration rule governing who qualifies for permanent residence or family reunification. Applicants must still meet the conditions applicable to their individual application. The announcement does not provide a general exemption from criminality-related requirements or state that applicants whose cases were suspended should automatically receive a positive decision. The announcement also does not establish a universal timetable for the completion of the affected cases. Resuming processing means that the Service can continue examining them; it does not necessarily mean that every case will be decided at once. Individual applications may still require further assessment or documentation, and their progress will depend on their particular circumstances. The position concerning potentially affected decisions made by other authorities remains distinct. The National Police is to work with relevant authorities to determine whether the error influenced other case-processing activities and, if so, how the consequences should be addressed. The 9 October notice does not specify which other decisions, if any, will require correction, nor does it announce a general reopening of previously concluded cases.

The new document does not create a new statutory test. Instead, it describes how SIRI says it currently applies the existing presumption rule. The central test remains whether there is a certain degree of presumption that the actual employment conditions do not correspond with what has been stated in the application and would not satisfy the conditions of the relevant residence scheme, or whether the decisive purpose of the employment agreement or offer is to obtain a Danish residence basis that the applicant could otherwise not obtain. SIRI emphasises that there is no requirement for a particular number of warning signs before the rule can be used. The assessment is concrete and individual in every case. A single significant circumstance can, in principle, be enough to create the necessary presumption, while several less significant circumstances can combine to produce the same result. The applicant's previous immigration history can now be especially important in the published guidance. SIRI may consider previous applications for Danish or other Schengen residence, including asylum, family reunification, visas and repeated applications for work and residence permits. Information previously supplied to other Danish immigration authorities may also be considered. The new note gives the example of a person who has received an asylum refusal and shortly afterwards applies under an employment scheme. SIRI says that, depending on the circumstances, it may obtain the relevant case files from the Danish Immigration Service and use them in its assessment. Repeated applications can also be assessed for internal consistency. The note gives an example of an applicant repeatedly seeking employment with the same employer, or an employer with the same ownership, but presenting materially different salaries for essentially the same job. A large reduction in salary in a subsequent application, despite the position and duties remaining substantially the same, may contribute to a presumption that the employment offer is being constructed primarily to secure residence. Repeated applications across unrelated industries may also be relevant. SIRI may assess whether the applicant actually understands the employment being offered. Where an applicant does not know the main contractual terms, including salary, duties, working hours, breaks and holiday arrangements, SIRI says this may generate doubt about whether the employment conditions in the application reflect the actual intended arrangement. Interviews can therefore form part of the assessment, and SIRI may in some cases also interview other people who could provide relevant information. Qualifications and credibility are also expressly addressed. SIRI can consider whether the applicant has the educational and professional background ordinarily needed for the position and whether the person has genuine experience in the relevant industry. Concerns about the authenticity of educational documents, inconsistent explanations or limited knowledge of the employer can also contribute to a presumption. The updated note gives significant attention to family relationships between the applicant and the company owners. A stronger presumption may arise where the applicant is employed by a small business owned by close family members, particularly when the company was established shortly before the application and has few or no other employees. In such cases SIRI can consider not only the family relationship but also qualifications, salary compared with other staff and the genuine need for the position. Previous breaches of Danish immigration law can also be relevant. SIRI may consider previous unlawful work, violations of permit conditions, previous immigration penalties and earlier presumption refusals involving the applicant or employer. Repeated breaches can strengthen the presumption that the applicant or employer may not comply with the terms of a new permit. On the employer side, SIRI may review financial information to determine whether the company could realistically pay the offered salary while maintaining its operations. A negative annual result does not automatically establish that the employer cannot pay the applicant, because SIRI says the assessment must take account of the company's circumstances as a whole. Factors may include employees, sector, business purpose, opening hours, accounts, price levels, premises and the age of the business. SIRI may use publicly available information from Denmark's Central Business Register, or CVR, when assessing the business. Indicators such as a sole proprietorship, very small staffing levels, an unsatisfactory annual result, lost capital, low personnel costs or negative equity can be relevant. The authority may also examine whether owners have previously operated companies that went bankrupt, or whether a similar business previously operated at the same address and was dissolved following bankruptcy. The assessment is based on the employer's circumstances at the time SIRI makes its decision rather than uncertain future expectations. For newly established businesses, SIRI says it will consider whether the company's finances and strategy appear convincing. Where an applicant is already employed by the company and is actually receiving the contractual salary, that fact will generally weigh against doubts about the company's ability to pay the employee. SIRI can also compare the applicant's pay with that of existing employees. A salary that appears unusually high compared with other employees, particularly people doing equivalent work, may contribute to the presumption that the employment is not genuine. The note gives the example of a proposed cleaning worker being offered materially more than other cleaning workers at the same company. Finally, SIRI can assess whether there is actually a business need for the proposed employee. A small business that already employs several people doing the same management or operational function may have difficulty demonstrating why another person is genuinely required. SIRI expressly states that the smaller the company, the greater the potential significance of evidence suggesting that there is no real need for the position.

From 1 October 2026, Quick Job Start receives its own dedicated page within the AR6 online application when an employer is applying under the Fast-Track Scheme. The employer will be asked whether the applicant needs the option, creating a distinct step for identifying a request that previously formed part of the wider application process. The new workflow separates the two operational routes according to the applicant's ability to enter Denmark. For visa-free applicants, selecting Quick Job Start provides access to an appointment-booking link through the submitted application and Digital Post receipt. The applicant can then attend the relevant SIRI appointment to obtain a provisional work permit, provided the necessary requirements are satisfied and an appointment is available. For applicants who require a visa, selecting Quick Job Start triggers a different process. The applicant must appear in person within 14 days to have their biometric features recorded. SIRI then processes the case, and the applicant cannot start working until SIRI has made its decision. Existing SIRI guidance indicates that Quick Job Start for applicants abroad who require a visa normally takes approximately 10 days once SIRI has received the necessary application, fee and biometrics. The update also clarifies the consequences of selecting the wrong option. If an employer selects "no" but subsequently needs Quick Job Start, the employer must contact SIRI. If "yes" is selected correctly, no separate notification is required. The change therefore places greater emphasis on making the Quick Job Start requirement explicit at the application stage.

From 1 October 2026, SIRI will start using the updated Q2 2026 DA income statistics to check whether a salary in a work‑permit application matches Danish standards. These figures aren’t one-size-fits-all — they change depending on the job, the applicant’s experience level, the region, and whether the contract includes flexible benefits. To give a sense of how the numbers work in practice: for DISCO code 812100 (metal‑processing operator work with under one year of experience), the lower‑quartile salary varies across Denmark. In Region Hovedstaden, it’s DKK 36,037 with flexible benefits and DKK 38,514 without. In Region Sjælland, it’s DKK 28,663 with flexible benefits and DKK 28,989 without. Region Syddanmark shows DKK 32,109 with flexible benefits and DKK 34,544 without, while Region Midtjylland has DKK 32,293 with flexible benefits and DKK 34,879 without. In Region Nordjylland, the figures are DKK 30,194 with flexible benefits and DKK 32,257 without. If a region has no data, SIRI uses the “All regions” benchmark — DKK 31,907 with flexible benefits and DKK 34,130 without. These numbers are examples, not minimum salaries. Applicants still need to choose the right DISCO code, pick the correct experience interval, and use the figure for the region where the job is located. If regional data is missing, SIRI’s fallback rules apply. The statistics also separate jobs with flexible benefits from those without. When flexible benefits are part of the contract, SIRI compares the relevant salary components to the flexible‑benefits benchmark. The flexible‑benefit amount isn’t simply added on top. For instance, a basic salary of DKK 38,500 plus 10% pension and 9% flexible benefits results in a comparison salary of DKK 42,350 — not DKK 45,815. These figures come from a special run of DA’s Structure Statistics 2025, projected to Q2 2026 using DA’s Economic Statistics growth rates, and delivered to SIRI on 26 August 2026 for use in residence and work‑permit processing.

The suspension has been lifted. The Danish Immigration Service can therefore resume processing asylum applications concerning persons from Iran. The authority currently expects summonses for asylum interviews to begin during Q1 2027. The official announcement does not provide a specific date for when individual applicants will be summoned.

From 15 September 2026, the unit serving as the secretariat for the Accreditation Council issues the advisory statements used by SIRI for the relevant student residence applications. The statement evaluates whether the educational programme has an acceptable substantive quality level. The underlying immigration requirement remains unchanged. SIRI can still grant a student residence permit only for studies at publicly recognised educational institutions or at state-approved educational institutions under state supervision, provided the other residence-permit requirements are also satisfied. Where a programme is offered at a state-approved institution under state supervision but is not itself approved by a state authority, a valid advisory statement remains required. Advisory statements issued by EVA before 15 September 2026 remain valid for the period for which they were issued and can continue to be used by SIRI when processing student residence applications.

SIRI has temporarily extended the deadline from 2 weeks to 4 weeks after an immigration application has been submitted. Applicants should still arrange their biometric appointment as quickly as possible. If an appointment is no longer needed, applicants are asked to cancel it so that another applicant can use the available appointment. The biometric features referred to by SIRI are fingerprints and a facial photograph.

Current rules for this policy, plus every recorded change.

Current rules for this policy, plus every recorded change.

Current rules for this policy, plus every recorded change.

Current rules for this policy, plus every recorded change.