Expedited parliamentary procedure of a special law which will provide for Ukrainians to apply for residence in Denmark is expected to take three days this week. The process of passing new laws normally takes weeks or months.

The rapid adoption of the new law is expected this week after a bill was tabled in order to provide for thousands of Ukrainian refugees who are expected to arrive in Denmark following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which began late last month.

The special law while mean Ukrainians are likely to be able to avoid extended stays in asylum centres and will give them opportunity to start schools or jobs in Denmark as quickly as possible.

Municipalities will be asked to take in Ukrainians within days after their residence applications are approved.

If the refugees are yet to find a place to live in Denmark, they can apply for accommodation at an asylum centre but without applying for asylum. Any place of accommodation should be as close as possible to job opportunities or any network they might already have in Denmark.

A parliamentary majority for the special law is already in place and it is expected to be voted through on Wednesday.

Municipalities across Denmark currently have capacity for 20,000 refugees from Ukraine, but the Danish Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen) has said it expects a higher number.

According to the text of the bill, the cost of taking in 20,000 refugees is expected to be 2.2 billion kroner net in 2022 and 2023.

Most of this money will be spent by the Ministry of Immigration and Integration on “operation and adaptation of accommodation, activities and Danish lessons, results-based subsidies, basic subsidies, self-sufficiency payments and repatriation payments”.

“Developments [in Ukraine, ed.] indicate there could be a substantially higher number (of refugees),” accompanying notes to the bill state.

“The actual calculated additional costs will depend on factors including the number and configuration of displaced persons who are given residence status under the proposed provisions,” it states.

1,085 people have so far applied for asylum in Denmark since the invasion began, according to a latest count, updated on Friday. More may have arrived in Denmark without having informed authorities.

Companies will be offered a “turbo-assessment” of the qualifications of Ukrainian refugees under the bill, which could enable skilled persons to use their qualifications in Denmark without the usual long wait for authorisation.

“We must give Ukrainian refugees a very warm welcome. In addition to safety and security, we must provide the chance to get an everyday life going again,” Minister for Education and Research Jesper Petersen said in a press statement.

Authority assessments of qualification equivalency can give access to both education programmes and jobs.