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Introduction
Persons who have been offered a job in a profession
currently experiencing a shortage of qualified
professionals have particularly easy access to the
Danish labour market. These professions and fields
are listed on the Positive List. The scheme also
applies to persons who have applied for asylum in
Denmark.
If you are a Nordic citizen,
you are free to reside, study and work in Denmark.
If you are an EU/EEA citizen or
Swiss citizen seeking residence in Denmark based on
the EU rules on freedom of movement, you may be
subject to special regulations.
More information about EU/EEA and Nordic citizens.
If you already hold a Danish residence permit based
on family reunification or asylum, or hold a
residence permit on humanitarian grounds, you do not
need a work permit in order to work in Denmark.
It is your own responsibility to obtain a work
permit if you are required to. If you work illegally
in Denmark, you risk deportation, and you and your
employer risk fine or imprisonment.
Conditions
Your job must be
listed on the Positive List. Furthermore, you
must have a written job contract or job offer which
specifies salary and employment conditions. Salary
and employment conditions must correspond to Danish
standards.
In order for a profession to be included on the
Positive List, the minimum educational level
required is a Professional Bachelor's degree, such
as a nurse or pedagogue. In some cases, you must
obtain a Danish authorisation or the like. This is
explicitly stated on the Positive List. For example,
foreign-trained doctors must be authorised by the
Danish National Board of Health.
Duration
If your job is listed
on the Positive List, you can be granted a residence
and work permit for up to three years with a
possibility for extension of up to four years.
Your residence permit can only be granted or
extended up to three months before your passport
expires. This means that if your passport expires in
12 months, you can only be granted a permit for nine
months, or your permit can only be extended by nine
months.
You can be issued a residence permit valid one month
prior to your first day of work, if you declare that
you are able to support yourself and any
accompanying family members for the entire month
before you begin working. Otherwise, your residence
permit will be valid 14 days before your first day
of work.
Residence permit for
jobseeking
If you get a
residence and work permit based on temporary
job contract, you will also get up to six
months' extra residence to look for work after your
contract expires. However, you cannot be granted
more than three years' residence in total. In the
jobseeking period you are not allowed to work, so if
you find a new job, you must apply for a new
residence and work permit based on your new job.
If you lose your job through no
fault of your own, e.g. due to cutbacks, you can get
an additional six months' residence to look for a
new job. In this case, you must apply for a
residence permit for jobseeking no later than two
days after the termination of your job contract. You
can apply by sending a letter to the
Immigration Service containing your full name,
address, CPR number, Alien Identification number (Udl.nr.)
and a copy of your valid passport, along with
information about why you lost your job. In order to
get the additional six monts' residence, it is a
condition that you are not receiving public
assistance under the active social policy act.
If you find a new
job
If you find a new job
while you are working, or while you hold a residence
permit for jobseeking, you must apply for a new
residence and work permit. However, you may begin
your new job before you have received your new
permit, provided that you submit your application no
later than the day you start your new job.
Extension
If your residence and
work permit expires, and you have applied for an
extension, and if you are still in the same job, on
the same terms and conditions, as when you were
granted your original permit, you may stay in
Denmark and continue working while the Immigration
Service processes your application.
Your permit can be extended even if your job is no
longer on the Positive List, provided that you are
still in the same job, on the same terms and
conditions.
Family members
If you hold a
residence and work permit under the Positive List,
your spouse, registered partner or cohabiting
partner, as well as any children under the age of 18
who are living at home with you, are also eligible
for residence permits. Your family members must be
able to support themselves and you must live
together in Denmark at the same address. Your
spouse, registered partner or cohabiting partner is
allowed to work full-time for the entire period his
or her permit is valid.
The Positive List
The Positive List
consists of a number of professional fields
currently experiencing a shortage of qualified
professionals.
- Academic work
- Construction
- IT and
telecommunication
- Management
- Educational,
social and religious work
- Sales, purchases
and marketing
- Health,
healthcare and personal care
- Freight
forwarding, postal services, storage and engine
operation
- Education and
tuition
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