Published 01-07-2024
New rules for family reunification of spouses come into effect
Today 1 July 2024 new rules for family reunification of spouses come into effect. The rules also apply to certain applications submitted before the rules came into effect.
Among other things the bill includes a change requirement that the spouse in Denmark need to have passed Prøve i Dansk 3 or another Danish test at the same or higher level, in order for the couple collectively to meet the integration requirement. This requirement can now also be met by the spouse in Denmark by documenting having been in ordinary full-time employment for 5 years, which has significantly involved communication in Danish.
By ‘significantly involved in communication in Danish’ we mean that spouse in Denmark on a daily basis and as a significant part of a work day has had frequent written or oral contact in Danish with Danish speaking persons. The communication can have been with colleagues, citizens, customers, patients or other persons.
In addition, the bill includes, that the financial guarantee requirement, which must be met in some cases in order to qualify for family reunification of spouses, will be reduced from approx. DKK 114,000 to DKK 57,000.
When the proposal was presented to the Danish Parliament on 11 April 2024, the Immigration Service gave the spouse in Denmark in relevant cases the opportunity to indicate whether the couple wanted the further processing of the case to await the expected entry into force of the new rules. The processing of these cases will now be finished.
Applicants, whose application for family reunification of spouses has been refused before the proposal was presented on 11 April 2024, because they did not meet the current financial guarantee requirement or the current language requirement, now have the opportunity to submit a new application for family reunification of spouses.
The bill also includes a change in the rules regarding permanent residence and the transferred requirements for permanent residence permit in cases regarding family reunification of spouses. Read the news article about these new rules
Further information
Read the proposal as presented (in Danish only)
Read the bill as passed (in Danish only)
Read more about the rules regarding family reunification of spouses
