The Danish government is considering scrapping a rule that allowed asylum seekers who were rejected to stay in the country for another 18 months after receiving their decision to be granted a residence permit.
According to a press release by the Ministry of Immigration and Integration, the situation does not occur very often, but the rule that allows rejected asylum seekers unable to return to their home countries to obtain a residence permit during the 18-month period can be soon scrapped Schengen.News reports.
This is about a scheme which is expensive to administer compared to the very few residence permits that are ultimately granted. And then it is about foreigners who have had their application for asylum processed according to all the rules of the art, but who do not have a need for protection. They have no right to be in Denmark.
Immigration Ministry Initiates Proposal to Abolish the Rule
The Ministry said in a press release that it will formally make the proposal to scrap the rule, with the bill initially going through a hearing phase and then being voted by the parliament.
Even if the measure is approved, the government will still be required to grant residence permits in specific cases.
I do not want anyone to imagine that this is a revolution in immigration policy. But in principle, I think the change is the right way to go. In addition, it is also one less scheme that has to be administered, and thus we actually also save a little bit of redundant bureaucracy in this way.
According to data by the ministry, between 2016 and 2024, 18 residence permits were issued to rejected asylum seekers.
Denmark Received 900 Asylum Applications So Far in 2024
A total of 900 asylum applications were submitted to Danish authorities in the first five months of 2024 – which is 36.2 per cent of all applications filed in 2023 (2,482). Denmark ranks 23rd in the list of countries with asylum seekers per capita in the EU.
The top visa applicants in Denmark for 2023 were Syrians, Afghanis, Eritreans, Russians and Iranians. Around nine per cent of the asylum seekers were unaccompanied minors.
On the other hand, 72 per cent of migrants, accounting for 1,343 applications, received a positive answer on their application, with 24 per cent already being granted a residence permit.
