Denmark

Denmark > Contacts

On this list you will find contact information on different groups that work with migration and asylum matters. They are all based in the capitol of Denmark, Copenhagen.

Denmark > Overview

Getting residence permit in Denmark is not easy. It is possible to obtain residence permit through work and study, but that require high skills and can be very costly. There is also the possibility of family reunification and residency on the basis of humanitarian reasons (if you are very ill). Apart from this applying for asylum is the only way of getting residence permit in Denmark for people outside the European Union. This overview introduces the current political situation relevant for asylum seekers and undocumented migrants.

Denmark > Dublin II

The main rule of the Dublin II Regulation is that your application for asylum is handled by one, and only one, country. The decision is based on in which country you have been registered and had your fingerprints taken the first time. If you meet the police in Denmark or any other EU country the police will take your fingerprints if you are more than 14 years old, and transmit them to a shared database called Eurodac. Deportations to Greece are stopped in Denmark.

Denmark > Asylum

There are different steps in the Asylum procedure. The Immigration Service is the first instance responsible for assessing a claim for asylum and the Refugee Appeals Board is the second instance.
Here is a description of the different steps in the asylum procedure in Denmark.

Denmark > Humanitarian Residence Permit

A humanitarian residence permit is a temporary residence permit you can obtain if you can document that you suffer from serious physical or psychological illness. It is an exception from the rule and decisions are made directly by the ministry of justice. The ministry has a very strict practice, which means that only few applicants get a residence permit on humanitarian grounds, and that you have to prepare your application very well if you do apply. A humanitarian residence permit is temporary and will have to be renewed, often every half - two years. Before it runs out you will need to apply for an extension.

Denmark > Gender

Generally Denmark doesn't recognise persecution because of gender identity or sexual orientation. But if you seek asylum and can prove, that you because of your gender identity or sexuality will be in a concrete risk of death penalty, torture or inhuman and degrading treatment at a return to your country of origin, you can get asylum.

Denmark > Minors

If you are an unaccompanied minor and wish to seek asylum in Denmark you will generally meet the same requirements as adult asylumseekers. However, unaccompanied minor asylum seekers are considered a vulnerable group, which means that unaccompanied minors will be housed in special accommodation centers and will be appointed a personal representative, who will support during the processing of the case.

Denmark > Detention

There is one detentation center in Denmark, it is called "Ellebæk" and it lies next to the main asylum camp, "Sandholmlejren". A detention center works like a prison and is run by the probation service in Denmark.
As an asylum seeker you can be detained without having committed a crime, for example if you are a rejected asylum seeker and they believe you will go underground or leave for another country. There is a maximum limit on 18 months of keeping people in Ellebæk. In most cases the detention period is shorter

Denmark > Living

Once you have applied for asylum in Denmark you are accommodated in an Asylum Camp somewhere in the country. Here you get food and pocket money while your case is treated. The standard of living in Asylum Camps differ from camp to camp and asylum seekers live in either apartments, shared or single rooms. You are not allowed to work while seeking asylum. Getting a job outside the formal labour market is possible but the informal labour market is limited and precarious.

Denmark > Family reunification

If you are married, registered partner or cohabiting partner with a person who have residency in Denmark, you can apply for family reunification. You can also be reunificated with children under the age of 15 years old. The residence permit is time limited, but it is possible in a later state to apply for it to be permanent.  Requiremecnts for family reunification in Denmark are very strict. The rules are also different depending on where you are applying from and what the basis of your stay is.

Denmark > Medical Assistance

As an adult asylumseeker you only have the right to get immediate/emergent health care, which is a basic right.
For adult undocumented migrants and people who stay underground or have got a rejection in their asylum case, access to healthcare and other public goods is limited and you only have the right to get the immediate health care. Furthermore doctors are not supposed to report to the police that you are undocumented, but some might do this.

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