The Danish authorities have announced that the country will enforce a new income requirement from October 1, 2024, for foreign nationals applying for a work permit to take up employment in the country.
In line with the new update, the majority of foreigners will have to have salaries over ten per cent higher in order to be eligible for a Danish work permit, Schengen.News reports.
As the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) explains, the new salary requirement will be used to assess whether the salary offered to foreigners corresponds to Danish standards.
By making such an assessment, the country’s authorities want to ensure that foreign workers are being treated fairly and that they have salaries equivalent to those already on the Danish labour market.
The updated income statistics will be used in the case processing of applications submitted from October 1, 2024. The income statistics are updated every quarter, and we expect the next update to be effective from January 1, 2025.
SIRI further explains that those who apply for a residence and work permit after September 30, 2024, will have their application assessed based on the income statistics for the second quarter of 2024.
On the other hand, those who have applied for the document between July 1 and September 30, 2024, will have their application assessed based on the statistics for the third quarter of this year.
This means that the new requirement will only affect those who will apply for a Danish residence and work permit for the purpose of taking employment in the country and for an extension from October 1.
The others who have already completed the application procedure do not have to worry about this requirement, as their application will be assessed based on the previous statistics.
To Which Schemes Does Salary Requirement Apply?
As SIRI explains, the requirement to receive a salary that corresponds to the Danish standards of the type of employment applies to both first-time applicants and those applying for an extension under the following schemes:
- Pay Limit Scheme
- Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme
- Fast track Scheme
- Researcher’s Scheme
- Positive List for People with a Higher Education
- Positive List for Skilled Work
- Special Individual Qualifications Scheme
- Herdsmen and Farm Managers Scheme
- Internship Scheme
Generally, SIRI assumes that the foreigner applying for a work permit will receive a salary that corresponds to the country’s standards. Nonetheless, when it is found that the salary does not meet Danish standards, a comment from the employer is required before a decision is made on the application.