News

Record number of immigrants in Denmark

The pace of globalisation picked up in Denmark in 2007. An increasing number of foreigners applying to work and study in Denmark added to the wave of immigration the country has experienced in recent years, the latest figures from the Immigration Service show.

A total of 37,476 residence permits were issued for work or study. This is over 30% more than in 2006 and almost three times as many as in 2002, when about 13,000 foreigners came to Denmark for work or study.

Commenting on the statistics, Immigration Service Director General Henrik Grunnet says:

- These figures express the new reality of migration. Denmark wishes to be competitive in attracting foreign labour and bright students, and the Immigration Service has managed to support this objective to a high degree in 2007. The number of foreign specialists under the Job Card scheme, and the number of unskilled eastern European workers has more than quadrupled in a single year. It is a real leap and comes on top of the major increase seen in 2006.

More than twice as many eastern European workers

There has been a particularly large increase in the number of residence and work permits issued to citizens from the new EU member states. In 2007, 13,752 permits were issued, compared with about 10,000 in 2006 and under 5000 in 2005. The 2007 figures do not include about 10,000 people who are living legally in Denmark, and have already begun to work, yet have not received their formal permit, thanks to a programme that allows them to be hired by pre-approved companies. If included in the figures, the total number of residence permits for eastern European workers increases to just under 24,000.

52% more using the Job Card scheme

Additionally, the number of people who qualify for residence permits as part of the Job Card scheme, as well as other specialists, increased by 52%, from 1350 in 2006 to 2062 in 2007. About half the Job Card permits have been issued to people from India.

There was also a large increase in applications from citizens of 'old' EU member states seeking work in Denmark in 2007. The number of EU/EEA residence permits issued increased to 14,595 in 2007, from 12,802 in 2006 and 9916 in 2005. About one third of these permits issued in 2007 (4547) were issued to labourers. Of these, about half are from Germany.

Changing immigration patterns

On the whole, the number of residence permits issued rose in 2007. A total of 58,503 permits were issued, compared with 46,543 in 2006 - an increase of about 12,000. The largest groups of immigrants were citizens from the 'old' EU members and the Nordic region, along with residence permits for people looking to work or study in Denmark, who represented a total of 52,071 people - or 89% of all permits issued.

The five countries receiving the most permits in 2007 were: Poland, with 11,783 people, Germany with 4579, China with 3680, Ukraine with 3284 and India with 2548. These figures confirm the change in immigration patterns that annual statistics from the Immigration Service have recorded in recent years. Traditional immigrant countries like Turkey and Pakistan have fallen to 13th and 25th place, with 1072 and 549 permits issued, respectively.

More applicants granted asylum and family reunification

The number of residence permits issued for family reunification rose from 3582 in 2006 to 4462 in 2007. Most of this increase occurred in the area of reunification of spouses, and the largest group of sponsors were citizens of Denmark or another Nordic country. The three largest nationality groups receiving residence permits for family reunification in 2007 were from Thailand (413), Turkey (340) and the Philippines (203).

The number residence permits granted to asylum seekers increased to 1275 in 2007, from 1095 in 2006. This particular increase was caused by the need to issue about 307 permits to a group of Iraqi military interpreters and their families. Excluding these permits, the number remained relatively constant: a total of 968 permits were issued in 2007, compared with 1095 in 2006.

The approval rate for all asylum seekers in 2007, excluding the group of Iraqi interpreters, was 31%, compared with 18% in 2006. By far the largest group came from Iraq, and, looking solely at the spontaneous asylum seekers from there, (still excluding the interpreters) the Immigration Service approved 29 permits and rejected 44 in 2007, an approval rate of about 40%. In 2006, 2% of Iraqis were recognised as refugees.

The proportion of residence permits granted to seekers and for family reunification remained relatively unchanged compared with recent years. As with in 2006, 2% of all permits issued last year went for asylum seekers and 9% in conjunction with family reunification.

For further key statistics, please refer to Latest figures on immigration, family reunification and asylum.

Final immigration statistics for 2007 will be published in the annual 'Facts and Figures about Immigration', which will be released by the Immigration Service and the Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs in the spring of 2008.

If you have further questions about the figures, please contact Press Co-ordinator Nils Bak, tel: 41 30 66 80.