Denmark Wants to Tighten Rules for Permanent Residency & Family Reunification

Denmark wants to tighten some of its current rules and make it harder for foreigners to obtain a permanent residence permit and reunite with their spouses living in a foreign country.

As part of the move to tighten regulations related to permanent residence permits and family reunification of spouses, the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration has put forth a proposal for consideration, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

According to the Danish Immigration Service, one significant amendment that has been proposed by the Ministry is the tightening of the rules for the two categories above. While it has not been revealed what rules are expected to apply to those applying for permanent residence and family reunification of spouses, Denmark does not want to continue keeping the same rules in place.

The drafted proposal contains a tightening of the requirements to get a permanent residence permit and family reunification of spouses.

The draft proposal also emphasises that individuals with convictions for certain crimes might not be eligible for a permanent residence permit. Moreover, it has been stressed that even facing charges for crimes in the future could prevent an individual from securing permanent residence status in Denmark.

The draft tightens the requirement that you may not have been convicted of certain crimes so that also a charge or indictment of certain crimes in the future will hinder you from getting a permanent residence.

In addition to the above-mentioned, the Danish Immigration Service explained that in line with the proposal, similar stringent measures are also to be applied to the transferred requirements for permanent residence permits when applying for family reunification of spouses, especially when the spouse in the country is a foreigner but not a refugee.

In case the proposal made by the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration is accepted, the new rules will become applicable for applications that have been submitted after the proposal has been presented to the Danish parliament.

On the other hand, applications that are currently under consideration will be subject to the existing rules unless a decision is made before the proposed changes enter into force.

The new rules will apply to applications for permanent residence permits and for family reunification of spouses submitted from the time when the proposal may be presented to the Danish parliament unless a decision is made in such cases before the time of entry into force.

Denmark is consistently making changes to its immigration laws. Just recently, Denmark said that from January 1, 2024, it would revoke temporary residence permits of refugees if they travel to their home countries.

The decision to apply such rules to refugees holding temporary residence permits was taken following a vote that took place on December 7, 2023.