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IMMIGRATION

Employment increases amongst non-Western nationalities in Denmark

A significant number of Syrian, Turkish and Iraqi nationals have entered the Danish jobs market in recent years, new data from Statistics Denmark shows.

Employment increases amongst non-Western nationalities in Denmark
File photo: Søren Bidstrup/Ritzau Scanpix

For Syrians between the ages of 25 and 64, the employment rate increased from 12.2 percent in 2015 to 43.2 percent in 2019, the figures show.

The increase follows a reduction in employment amongst Syrians in Denmark in the first half of the 2010s.

Between 2010 and 2015, employment frequency in people from Syria fell from 29.1 percent in 2010 to 12.2 percent five years later.

The reversal of the trend and sharp increase in the following five years to 2019 reflects the large number of Syrian refugees who came to the country, peaking in the middle years of the decade.

Employment amongst the group is related to the length of time for which they have resided in Denmark, and how many have come to the country.

For Turkish people of the same age range, employment increased from 53 percent in 2010 to 57.8 percent in 2019. For Iraqi nationals, employment levels are lower but also increased in the 2010-2019 period, from 34.5 percent to 44.8 percent.

The much larger increase in employment amongst Syrians is related to the amount of time spent in Denmark, according to Ritzau’s report – in 2015, many had recently arrived as refugees.

A large proportion of Iraqi nationals in Denmark came to the country as refugees, while for Turkish nationals family reunification played a more prominent role.

For ethnic Danes aged 25-64 years, employment stood at 77.3 percent in 2010, increasing to 81 percent by 2019.

Statistics Denmark writes that the difference in employment levels between Danes and foreign nationals in general has narrowed in recent years, even though it remains higher for Danish nationals in comparison with Turkish, Iraqi and Syrian residents.

The three nationalities comprised the largest three groups of non-Western nationals living in Denmark in the 2010s.

READ ALSO: Denmark's immigration and emigration is mostly to and from Western countries

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WORK PERMITS

EXPLAINED: How to have a work permit case reopened in Denmark

Most people who have an application for a permit to work in Denmark refused either just give up or appeal the decision. But in some cases, it can be quicker to have it reopened instead.

EXPLAINED: How to have a work permit case reopened in Denmark

“Most people would not consider the option of a reopening of the case,” Christina Poblador, an immigration lawyer with the firm Jacobsen and Poblador, told The Local. “Most clients would just go the appeal way, because in all the denials, all the decisions that you get, it’s described how you appeal a case in the letter.”

But, with a 12 to 14-month waiting list at the Immigration Appeals Board and no guarantee you will be granted permission to stay or work in Denmark during your wait, it can often make more sense to reopen the case instead. 

READ ALSO: ‘When they reopened my Danish work permit case I was over the moon’

What does reopening a case entail? 

When an application to receive or extend a work permit is refused by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration(Siri) the case is officially closed.

If it is reopened, it is sent back to the agency, along with additional information, to be reconsidered. The agency will then either confirm or overturn its initial decision. 

What do you have to do to reopen a case?  

You need to write to Siri, either by sending an ordinary letter or, as the agency recommends, by using this contact form on its website. Click “I want to ask a question or send documentation related to a particular case”. 

You must first pay a fee of 930 Danish kroner to request a reopening of the case, which you do on this page

According to the guide in Siri’s New In Denmark website, your letter or form submission needs to include: 

  • The new information you believe is relevant to the case
  • Documentation for payment of the fee, including the case order ID
  • Your personal ID (appears in the decision letter from Siri)
  • The case number from the original case (appears in the decision letter from Siri)

What sort of additional information do you need to provide to reopen a case? 

You need to submit information which was: 

  •  Present when the original decision was made

  • Of such importance that the case might have had a different outcome if case officers had been aware of information when the decision was made 

This means that any changes to employment terms agreed after the application was made do not count.

But it would count if, for example, if the case officer did not have copies of payslips issued before the application that show additional overtime hours worked which then push an applicant for a work permit extension over the required number of hours.  

Can you still apply to reopen a case if you have already appealed it? 

It’s tough. If there is already a pending appeal, Siri will forward the additional information included in the request for reopening to the Immigration Appeals Board, which will then decide whether the case should be reopened by Siri or ruled on by the board itself. 

Given the long delays for decisions at the Immigration Appeals Board, there’s a clear risk that simultaneously requesting a reopening will, if anything, further delay a decision. 

How long do I have after a decision to ask for it to be reopened? 

There is no deadline, but if a considerable amount of time has passed since your decision and you have no good explanation for the delay, Siri may consider that you have been “too passive” and refuse your request to reopen the case. 

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