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WORK PERMITS

How can a work permit holder stay in Denmark after losing a job?

If you have a work permit in Denmark but lose your job, can you remain in the country while looking for new work? The answer depends on several factors.

Published: 13 April 2023 17:20 CEST
Updated: 6 July 2023 16:22 CEST
People working at laptops.
There are differences in what you're entitled to in Switzerland - especially when it comes to work - if you're an EU/EFTA national compared to someone from outside this area. Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

Becoming unemployed is a huge stress for anyone, but it could be even more of a challenge for foreign nationals.

As a foreign national employed in Denmark, you have the option of joining an A-kasse (or arbejdsløshedskasse), a private unemployment insurance fund which administers unemployment benefits.

In addition to Danish nationals, both EU/EEA nationals and third country nationals are eligible to join an A-kasse. The right to unemployment benefits is the same for everyone provided they have legal residence and a work permit, regardless of nationality.

READ ALSO: A-kasse: Everything foreigners in Denmark need to know about unemployment insurance

But how long can you remain in the country after losing your job may depend on the kind of permit you have.

Work permits are no longer than four years but you can apply for an extension three months before your current permit expires. So you also need to apply for an extension to residency based on your work permit, which will be on the same conditions as you got the first one.

In order to extend your permit, your employment must not have changed. This means that you must be employed in the same position, by the same employer and under the same or improved terms of employment.

If you change jobs, you need to apply for a new work permit or if your salary or other employment terms are diminished, you must inform the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI), the agency which processes work permit applications.

It should also be noted that if you have a resident permit based on your partner (sponsor’s) employment and their employment is extended, you must also apply for an extension of your residence permit.

On its website, SIRI states that if “significant changes to your terms of employment are made, you must apply for a new residence and work permit.”

However, if you have been granted a residence permit as a researcher or according to the Pay Limit Scheme or the Fast Track Scheme, specific rules apply.

READ ALSO: How have work permit rules been changed in Denmark?

If your permit was granted through one of these specific pathways, your job can change within the same university or company without you having to apply for a new work permit.

This can mean a new job role such as a promotion or a change to your research project does not invalidate your work permit, on the condition that your salary and employment conditions still correspond to Danish standards.

If your permit was granted through the Pay Limit Scheme or Fast Track Pay Limit track, your salary must also continue to meet the minimum salary requirement set by whichever version of these schemes by which you were granted a work permit.

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If you change employer you must apply for a new permit, including for permits granted under one of these schemes. Your salary must still meet the minimum salary requirement. This applies even if the number of working hours has been reduced.

I’ve lost my job and have a Danish work permit. What do I do next?

If you have a residence (and work) permit in Denmark under the Fast-track Scheme, the Pay Limit Scheme, the Positive List or the Researcher Scheme, but lose your job, you must apply for a new residence permit while you look for a new job in Denmark. The application portal can be found on SIRI’s website.

This new permit is termed a “jobseeking permit” and is valid for six months. It does not allow you to work – if you are offered a new job, you’ll need to apply for a new work permit based on that job.

In some cases, the jobseeking permit might be granted automatically – for example, if you were granted a work permit for four years or less under one of the above schemes, and the permit was the same length as your job contract, which is set to expire.

You must have lost the job through no fault of your own (such as company cutbacks) and you must apply for the jobseekers permit within two days of your employment being terminated.

You cannot receive social security benefits, but this does not include A-kasse insurance which is paid out by a private provider. If you receive social security benefits from public authorities like municipalities, you will breach the terms of the permit.

If I get a new job?

You are allowed to stay in Denmark while you are waiting for a decision on an application for a new work permit.

If you have lost your job and have stayed in Denmark using a jobseeking permit, you may be able to work while your application for a new work permit for your new job is processed.

The rules that apply vary according to the scheme under which you were originally granted a Danish work permit. You can read more about them here.

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JOBS

How much Danish do you need to learn to get a job in Denmark?

Learning a new language like Danish is a process that can take years. So at what level can you test out your new skills and apply for a job in Danish? We spoke to a language teacher to find out.

Published: 8 May 2024 15:38 CEST
How much Danish do you need to learn to get a job in Denmark?

There are many international companies in Denmark where the workplace language is English – opening up opportunities to many nationalities who want to live and work in Denmark. However for some professions, a certain level of Danish is a requirement and for others, working in Danish opens up more doors.

“The level we say you need to get a job is to have passed the Prøve i Dansk 3 (PD3), which is the official exam by the Ministry of Education. It is equivalent to the B2 European Framework level,” Maria-Sophie Schmidt, language consultant at Studieskolen’s private Danish department told The Local.

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is an international standard for describing language ability. It uses a six-point scale: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, where C2 is for those who are advanced and fluent in the language. It means employers and educational institutions can easily assess language abilities.

“When you pass Prøve i Dansk 3 and are B2 level, you’re not completely fluent but you can function in Danish and read newspaper articles in Danish. Usually I say B2 level is like a driver’s license we give you on your Danish. So you can drive a car but if you want to be a really good driver, you have to go practice in traffic. So after PD3 and with practice and with help perhaps, you should be able to write an application in Danish and go through an interview,” Schmidt said.

“PD3 will always help you get a job because companies appreciate you have the certificate. There’s a worry for some companies that you aren’t fluent.

“It is also helpful because Danes like to socialise in our workplaces such as at julfrokost (Christmas lunch) or fredagsbar (Friday afternoon drinks) and some are uncomfortable having to change their language to English all the time, maybe because we don’t feel we speak it well enough. So if you come as a foreigner and have a certificate of Prøve i Dansk 3, I think it’s a big advantage,” Schmidt added.

Foreign dentists and doctors need to have passed Prøve i dansk 3, as well as other professional tests before being able to start an evaluation period of working. 

However there are some sectors where passing the Danish language exam isn’t a requirement. Due to current pressure on hospital waiting times in Denmark, nurses outside of the EU are no longer asked to pass Prøve i dansk 3. Instead, they can demonstrate their Danish language ability, in line with the requirements used for nurses from EU and EEA countries. This includes a six-month probation period where Danish communication skills are assessed.

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The construction industry and engineering, as well as hospitality are other sectors where Danish language skills won’t necessarily need to be B2 level or need certification. But whether or not you require the Prøve i Dansk 3 certificate, practicing Danish is the key to gaining confidence in the Danish workplace.

“Sign up for a language course or sign up to a sports club and surround yourself with Danish language. Insist on speaking Danish and if you know anyone speaking native Danish, ask to have a coffee and practice your Danish. If you have kids and meet other parents, speak Danish, or volunteer at somewhere like a nursing home,” Schmidt suggested.

READ ALSO:

Language schools offer a Module 6 course, called Studieprøve to get to C1 level. Here you learn to read, write and speak more academic Danish. It is a requirement for those wanting to study in Danish but you don’t need it for a job.

“At Studieskolen we offer Classes after PD3 – a conversation class at B2 and C1 level where you don’t focus on grammar and writing but on speaking relevant topics in society such as what’s going on now, newspaper articles, TV shows and practice speaking to colleagues in small talk and more complicated conversations. PD3 is a driver’s license but you often can’t join a conversation spontaneously or you may lack confidence and vocabulary, so those classes help that.”

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