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WORK PERMITS

Fast Track Scheme: What are the new rules on Danish work permit programme?

New rules have taken effect on the Fast Track Scheme, a programme by which foreign professionals can be granted Danish work permits.

Published: 5 April 2023 17:20 CEST
Fast Track Scheme: What are the new rules on Danish work permit programme?
Denmark's Fast Track work permit scheme has been broadened to give companies better options for hiring skilled foreign staff. File photo: Søren Bidstrup/Ritzau Scanpix

The Danish parliament last month voted to ease some work permit requirements, in a move designed to make it easier for companies to hire internationally.

The amendments came into effect on April 1st, easing rules on a number of work permit application schemes including the Fast Track Scheme, a programme which allows certified companies to employ foreign nationals with special qualifications more quickly and easily than through the standard pathway.

The new rules allow companies with as few as 10 employees to register for the scheme, a reduction from the minimum of 20 under the old rules.

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The Fast-track Scheme allows certified companies to employ foreign nationals with special qualifications more quickly and easily than through the standard pathway. It also allows the employees to work both in Denmark and abroad. This means that as a highly qualified employee, you can have a quick and flexible job start in the certified company. 

In short, employers, by registering for the scheme, can enable their foreign hires to be granted a temporary work permit so they can start their job immediately after arriving in Denmark, or – if the employee is not exempted from Danish visa rules – get them a permit including an entry visa within 10 days.

The new rules that took effect on April 1st 2023 expand the Fast Track Scheme by giving it a “fifth track”. Additionally, companies with as few as 10 employees can register for the scheme, a reduction from the minimum of 20 under the old rules.

The new, fifth track can be applied for by third-country (non-EU) nationals employed by a certified company with an annual salary of at least 375,000 kroner. This is equivalent to the pay limit amount of the new Supplementary Pay Limit scheme.

In some instances, you will need Danish authorisation or temporary authorisation for your profession in order to be granted the work permit. This primarily applies to professions which are regulated by law, such as lawyer, financial advisor, or doctor, for example.

The new fifth track – the supplementary pay limit track – now exists alongside the four other tracks. These include the regular pay limit track, which still has a higher minimum salary of 465,000 kroner. It can also be distinguished from the supplementary track because the new track has criteria related to the national unemployment level and a requirement for the employer to advertise the job on specified portals.

Other tracks are targeted at short term workers, researchers, and people who will be receiving or giving training during their stay in Denmark.

More detail on each of the tracks can be found on the website of the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI), the agency which processes work permit applications.

A step-by-step guide to submitting an application for a Danish work permit under the Fast Track Scheme can be found on SIRI’s website.

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LIVING IN DENMARK

‘Cheaper’,’amazing nature’, ‘reliable transport’: The best Copenhagen commuter towns

Finding somewhere affordable to live in Denmark's capital is not easy, which is why a lot of people consider moving out of the city to rent or buy. The Local readers gave us an insight into life in a commuter town.

Published: 22 May 2024 16:14 CEST
Updated: 26 May 2024 06:54 CEST
'Cheaper','amazing nature', 'reliable transport': The best Copenhagen commuter towns

With the increase in flexible working, more people are looking to smaller towns outside of Copenhagen to either work from home or commute from. Here are some of the popular commuter towns.

Kokkedal/Fredensborg (north of Copenhagen)

From our reader survey, Kokkedal/Fredensborg were the most popular areas people lived.

“We can have a big house with a garden for the kids compared to a small flat in Copenhagen,” one reader said. 

“Houses are affordable for North Zealand compared to Lyngby, Birkerød or Holte for example,” added Judy, another reader. “Not a lot of apartments or rentals available though.”

She said she loved the “amazing nature” of the area, as well as the safety, community spirit and fact it was close to amenities and Hillerød.

The commute however is not the quickest of the commuter towns.

“On the days I work in town it costs 52 kroner each way, I need to get a bus or walk to Kokkedal then the train and then a bus or walk to work so it takes up to 1.5 hours,” said one reader. 

Judy agreed that it normally took her an hour and a half to get to Copenhagen’s central station. She said that the “cost can be reduced by using a pendelkort and there is a tax deduction for long distance commutes.” However another reader in the area said it took them 30 minutes to get to Copenhagen central.

The worst part about living in the area, Judy said, was that “local trains and buses only run once an hour on weekends”.

“If you don’t have a car, it’s a pain.”

Another reader complained that “the restaurant scene is not great” and that the “general access to culture” was limited, although the Louisiana Art Gallery, they said, was “not far away”. 

What Judy loved about the area was “amazing nature. Safety. Close to amenities. Community spirit. Houses are more affordable than similar areas like Birkerød. Three stops from Hillerød station. by train. There are also buses to towns on the kystbanen line.”

Kokkedal station. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The north of Copenhagen is a popular choice for commuters, due to the area’s many beaches and the good train links to the centre of Copenhagen.

Other popular commuter towns are Hillerød, Holte, Bikerød, Rungsted and Hørsholm. 

Vedbæk (north of Copenhagen)

A few kilometres south of Kokkedal but still north of Copenhagen, Vedbæk, reported our reader Ron, offers “small town life” where “nearly everyone knows each other”.

The wealthy coastal town, he said, “has everything we need, with easy train access to the Copenhagen on the Regionaltog.” In addition, the commute is “very reliable”, taking only 20 minutes on the train to Nørreport.

The downside, he said, was that housing in the area was very expensive. “It’s probably even more expensive in Vedbæk than in Copenhagen!”

The coastal town of Vedbæk is perfect for commuting. Photo: Tobias Kobborg/Ritzau Scanpix

Frederiksund (north of Copenhagen) 

A bit further out from Copenhagen to the northeast is Frederikssund, which our reader complained suffered from a “lack of culture”, a “paucity of good restaurants”, a pedestrian street facing some sort of “death”, and a shopping centre which was “hugely dull”. 

The only things he mentioned in the town’s favour were that is close to the Roskilde fjord, the Isefjord and to nature in general, and that it was less expensive for “a quality house with a good garden” than Copenhagen.

He said the commute to Copenhagen Central took between 45 and 50 minutes, but warned that “‘reliable’ is not a word that can easily be used in a sentence about the C line trains”. 

Stenløse (west of Copenhagen)

To the west of Copenhagen, in Stenløse, housing costs are “much much lower” than the capital, according to one reader. They liked the “house prices, quiet, facilities, nature” and fact it was “still close to the city (36 minutes by train to go to Copenhagen Central).”

However they pointed out there are “only a few restaurants” and “a car is somewhat important.” 

The reader mostly worked from home but their commute involved cycling to the station then taking the S-tog to Copenhagen central station and another bike ride of a few minutes. “It takes about 40 minutes. Train is pretty reliable and runs every 10 minutes during the weekdays,” the reader said.

Other popular commuter areas in the west include Roskilde, Ringsted and Slagelse.

Køge (south of Copenhagen)

To the south of Copenhagen and on the coast, Køge was described by a reader as “quieter” and “cleaner” than Copenhagen, with no real negatives. 

“It’s a lot cheaper. I pay around 3,000 kroner for a single room student accommodation – two of my friends that live in Copenhagen pay 7,000 kroner a month – for a student apartment smaller than mine!” the reader said.

Their commute is “30 – 50 minutes depending on transportation mode (S-tog and regionaltog) – it costs around 650 kr a month with Ungdomskort.”

Dragør is another favourite to the south of Copenhagen due to its old-town charm.

The view across the straits to Nykobing Falster. Photo: Hubertus45/Wikimedia Commons

Nykøbing F (southern Denmark)

Nykøbing F, as it’s known, is a city on the island of Falster in southern Denmark, next to Lolland. Despite being further afield, Matthew found his commute “easy and reasonable” and house prices “much less” than in Copenhagen. He found the area he lives “peaceful” and “beautiful” with nothing he doesn’t like.

Odense (Fyn)

As the third largest city in Denmark, on the island of Fyn, Odense may feel far from Copenhagen. But reader Adrian said his commute to Copenhagen by train took “just over an hour. In a quiet carriage it’s relaxing and a great place to get work done.”

Adrian said house prices in Odense were at least half the cost of those in Copenhagen. “Cheaper housing, easy parking everywhere. Odense is a city with a small town vibe,” he said. The only minor point he said was the “lack of ‘cool’ cafes compared to Copenhagen.”

It’s says something about transport in Denmark that commuting from a different island 300km away can take the same time as commuting from a village just 40km north of Copenhagen. 

Some commuters even travel from Malmö in Sweden, taking advantage of the the fast train over the Øresund Bridge.

Do you have experience of living in a Copenhagen commuter town or village? We’re still interested in collecting readers’ experience of the different options. So if you want to contribute, please fill in the form below: 

 

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