Immigration News January 2023

4 January 2023

The yearly update from the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) covers the following:

• Information on the governmental fees for 2023
• New minimum salary limit
• New Positive Lists
• Processing times at SIRI
• New application forms
• New restriction on business visas to Denmark
• Delays on passing the agreement to strengthen international recruitment in Denmark.

Information on the governmental fees for 2023

Due to the late formation of the Danish Government, the Finance Act for 2023 has not been passed yet. This means that the governmental application fee for residence permits in Denmark will not change as per 1 January 2023. 

However, we expect the governmental application fee to change when the Finance Act is passed. We will monitor this and update you.

New minimum salary limit

The minimum salary limit for the Pay Limit Scheme and Fast Track scheme, Pay Limit Track has increased as per 1 January 2023 and is now set at DKK 465,000 per annum / DKK 38,750 per month gross.

New Positive Lists

SIRI has published new Positive Lists for the Highly Educated and for Skilled Work. The new lists are valid from 1 January 2023 to 30 June 2023

You can find the new Positive Lists here. 

Processing times

It is our experience that the processing time for applications has decreased. This covers applications for residence and work permits as well as applications for the family members. 

New application forms

SIRI has updated their AR6/7 application form. The consequence is that more information on the employment is needed when submitting the application. The biggest impact is that information on the Disco code is now required for all cases, even though SIRI earlier has informed that it was not needed for applications, when:

• the employer is covered by a collective agreement through a membership of an employers’ association,
• the employment is covered by a collective agreement, or
• the salary is at least DKK 65,000 per month.

New restrictions on business visas to Denmark

It is our experience that the Danish Embassies have sharpened the interpretation of the visa rules, which means that business trips to Denmark may require a residence and a work permit, whereas it only required a business visa before. 

This can have a huge impact for visa-required citizens abroad since the new practice prolongs the process and might end with a rejection on the visa application. 

Our recommendation is that companies keep these restrictions in mind when considering applying for a business visa, and if in doubt you can reach out to Deloitte’s Immigration Team for an assessment. 

The agreement to strengthen the international recruitment in Denmark

It was announced in the summer 2022 that the Danish Parliament together with several parties made an agreement to strengthen the international recruitment in Denmark. For the agreement to take effect, a bill must be passed. Unfortunately, due to the election in Denmark and the late formation of the government, the passing of this bill is delayed, and it is uncertain when it will take effect.

We will monitor the situation closely and come with an update when there is news.