Waiting for an asylum decision is stressful, and can still have negative effects many years after a person receives their asylum permit - especially if the waiting time is long. In Denmark, the waiting time in the asylum system increased to 19 months on average in 2018 - 2019. This report by the Rockwool Foundation examines the effects of these long wait times.

Strangely, longer waiting times do not appear to be linked to a higher number of applicants. On the contrary, the report finds that in periods of very few applicants for asylum, the waiting time for an asylum decision increased.

The Rockwool Foundation has compared waiting times with the number of new arrivals, and also looked into the long-term effects of waiting times on these arrivals' employment prospects. It found that the risk of receiving a psychiatric diagnosis clearly increases with an increase in waiting time, but that the effects on employment are not significant over time.

Speaking on these long wait times and their psychological effects, leader of the Centre for Exposed Refugees at the Danish Refugee Council, Mette Blauenfeldt, said:

"We know that for PTSD, one of the worst conditions is when your life is unpredictable – and that is precisely what happens when you are waiting for an asylum decision."

Find the full report attached below or access it online here.