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WORK PERMITS

OPINION: It would be unfair to deport foreign workers hit by coronavirus lockdown

Naqeeb Khan from the Danish Green Card Association argues it would be unfair to deny visa extensions or permanent residency to migrant workers because of income lost due to coronavirus.

Published: 20 March 2020 14:59 CET
OPINION: It would be unfair to deport foreign workers hit by coronavirus lockdown
Naqeeb Khan (second from right). Photo: Naqeeb Khan
The coronavirus crisis has caused a huge human and economic loss. But it has also united us as human beings, because we are all in this together.
 
One of the groups in Denmark that the coronavirus crisis will affect the most is immigrants — especially those on temporary visas, green card holders, and those applying for Permanent Residency (PR) permits.
 
These immigrants need to demonstrate a minimum annual income before they can extend their visas to stay in Denmark or apply for PR, something which in the current crisis it will be almost impossible for many of them to do. 
 
We at the Danish Green Card Association believe that the Danish government should waive the equivalent of three months of annual income or working hours.
 
This will save foreign workers from being unfairly forced to leave Denmark simply because of income lost to the coronavirus shutdown. 
 
The situation
 
Immigrants in Denmark e.g. green card holders are required to show an annual income of DKK 317,681 (Styrelsen for International Rekruttering og Integration SIRI calculation) to extend their visa. Similarly, those who have to apply for Permanent Residency permit are required to show an annual income of DKK 292,256 (SIRI Calculation 2020 level). PR applicants should also be able to demonstrate continuous work over at least 120 hours per month over the last four years
 
Due to coronavirus, thousands of employees have now been fired, many have been told to stay home or asked to work less hours than usual. The current situation might last for months. This will surely impact the annual income of these immigrant, which will put them on risk of losing their visas or green cards or of having their permanent residency applications rejected. 
 
One member, who has been working in the tourism industry for five years was told on Monday March 16 to stay home until further notice from. It will be hard for him to find another job in the current crisis. His visa extension is due in December this year, and he will be expected to show 12 months’ income. It would be unfair to ask him to demonstrated the usual annual income.
 
Another member, who has been working at an ice cream factory for the last four years lost his job on Monday March 16,  because of the coronavirus shutdown. He had applied for permanent residency six months ago and was expecting a decision on the application within the next 3 months. Under the current rules, his PR application will be rejected simply because he will not fulfil the current work requirements.
 
Applicants for permanent residency may have fulfilled all work and language requirement and passed the citizenship exam. But they now face rejection due to failing the the income requirement through no fault of their own. 
 

 
Proposals: 
 
Income Requirement for Visa Extension:
 
The current rules states that to receive an extension to a visa (green card), the applicant must show an annual income of DKK 317,681 (SIRI calculation). In the current crisis, it will almost impossible for many to meet this requirement.
 
We recommend that the Danish government waive at least 3 months’ income, reducing the required annual income to DKK 238,269.
 
Income Requirement for Permanent Residency applicants:
 
The current rules state that those applying for a permanent residency permit should have had an annual income of DKK 292,256 over the two years leading up to the application.
 
We recommend that the Danish government waive three months’ income from the second years, reducing the required annual income DKK 219,192
 
 
Work Requirement for Permanent Residency applicants: The current rules states before applying for permanent residency, applicants should have worked for 120 hours per month over the preceding four years (the requirement is for three and half years' work under the eight year rules).
 
We recommend that applicants should be exempted from the 120 hours a month requirement for three months, starting from March 2020. 
 
Continuous Work Requirement for Permanent Residency applicants
 
The current rules also state that if someone has submitted a PR application that they should still be working even after they have submitted the application. In the current situation, many applicants have suddenly lost their jobs, meaning they risk having their application rejected. 
 
We recommend that the continuous work requirement be waived for those who have lost their jobs during the three month coronavirus shutdown. 

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WORK PERMITS

EXPLAINED: How to apply for a work permit in Denmark as an intern

Want to intern at the elite restaurant Noma, at the architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group, as a vet or as a nurse? Here's what you need to know.

Published: 28 March 2024 14:51 CET
EXPLAINED: How to apply for a work permit in Denmark as an intern

Denmark has a special scheme for foreigners offered work in the country as interns, with different rules for those employed in architecture, healthcare, farming or veterinary jobs, or other sectors such as the natural sciences, technical fields, the pharmaceutical sector, or culture.

As an intern, you can get a permit to work in Denmark and a residency permit without having to earn any salary whatsoever, let alone secure the generous pay levels required to qualify for the Pay Limit Scheme. 

But you do have to meet the conditions put in place, to prevent unscrupulous employers using the internship permit to bring low cost labour to the country. 

You can find an English language guide to internships on the website of the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (Siri). 

READ ALSO: Danish work permit agency changes practice for hotel and restaurant interns

Who is eligible to get a work permit as an intern? 

You need to be between the ages of 18 and 35 (or 18 and 30 for some sectors), and you normally need to be studying a relevant subject in your home country or current country of residence .

In some cases you can already have recently graduated and in some cases you can be studying a subject not related to the internship, but if this is the case you need to show that you have passed a semester’s worth of courses in a relevant subject. 

If your internship is unpaid, you normally need to show that you have at least 6,820 kroner a month to support yourself over the period.

If your internship is paid, your salary must be at least 6,820 kroner per month, which has to be stated in the standard contract, and paid into a Danish bank account in a bank operating legally in Denmark.

Be aware that opening a Danish bank account can be difficult, with applicants normally needing to have a Danish address and CPR personal number. If you are having trouble you can apply for a basic payments account.

What qualifications do I need to show or paperwork do I need to provide? 

The rules are different depending on which sector you intend to carry out your internship in. 

Agricultural, horticulture, forestry or veterinary 

If you plan to intern in the agricultural, horticulture, forestry or veterinary sectors, you need to show that you have passed a language test in English, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian or German at the A2 level or higher, in Common European Framework of Reference for Languages scale.

This is a very basic level, described in the CEFR as enough to communicate “very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment”. 

For English language tests offered by IELTS, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) accepts test scores from 3.0, and for English tests from TOEFL, scores at Studieprøven level (C1 CEFR level). You will need to send the results certificate along with your application. 

To qualify for an internship in these sectors you also need to be studying a relevant subject in your home country, or the country where you have residency, and the internship also needs to be timed to coincide with where you are in the course, for instance as a practical element following more theoretical ones. 

“We compare the content of your educational programme with the job tasks which you will be carrying out during the internship,” Siri writes in its guide to internships. 

You cannot be more than 30 years old for an internship in these sectors. 

Interns in these sectors do not need to provide proof that they can support themselves. 

Healthcare 

There are no language requirements for an internship in the healthcare sector, and for medical interns there is no upper age limit (although an age limit of 35 applies for other healthcare interns). 

The internship must be related to the educational programme you are studying in your home or another country, and you need to submit an authorised translation of the list of courses you have studied, along with your application. 

You can receive an internship in healthcare even if your studies have recently been completed, but you must show that the internship is a continuation of your studies and relevant to the future role you intend to take on. 

If you have completed your studies, you should include documentation of any work experience you have had since completing your studies. 

If your internship is unpaid, you need to show that you have at least 6,820 kroner a month to support yourself over the period, which you can document with a bank statement or a copy of a scholarship certificate. It is not enough for someone else, such as a parent, to say they will support you. 

Architecture 

To be eligible for a work permit in the architecture sector, you cannot have completed your education and cannot be more than 35 years old. 

The internship must be related to the educational programme you are studying in your home or another country, and you need to submit an authorised translation of the list of courses you have studied, along with your application. 

If your internship is unpaid, you also need to show that you have at least 6,820 kroner a month to support yourself, which you can document with a bank statement or a copy of a scholarship certificate. It is not enough for someone else, such as a parent, to say they will support you. 

Which employers are eligible to take interns?

Employers need to be approved to take interns, either through a prior praktikpladsgodkendelse, or “place of internship approval”, or through sending detailed documentation to Siri on what the internship will consist of, including details of who will be supervising the intern, and prior experience the firm has with taking on interns or trainees. 

All public hospitals in Denmark are approved as places of internship.

If you are planning on interning at a Danish architecture firm, the firm must use the standard “Internship Agreement and Guidelines” issued by DANSKE ARK, the Danish association of Architectural Firms, and the Danish Union of Architects and Designers.

Architecture firms do not need to receive a separate praktikpladsgodkendelse but when filling in the standard contract, need to state the number of fully-trained architects and number of interns working at the firm. 

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