The Representation for the Nordic and Baltic Countries of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) published recommendations for Denmark’s refugee policy, aiming to secure improvements to the protection and integration systems in place for refugees and stateless persons at regional, national and international level.

UNHCR is generally critical of the Danish “paradigm shift” which began in 2019 and involved making all permits for beneficiaries of international protection very short and temporary, shifting focus from integration to return. In particular, UNHCR considers Denmark's strict eligibility requirements for permanent residency, shortened length of the residence permits, and frequent reviews of protection needs as counter-productive to integration objectives. 

Among others, UNHCR makes the following recommendations to Denmark:

• Acknowledging the fast, flexible and efficient reception of displaced persons from Ukraine in Denmark, the country is urged to use similar measures when receiving refugees from other countries in the future.
• To refrain from a regular mandatory review of the protection needs of beneficiaries of international protection, and align the criteria and practice for the loss of subsidiary status (cessation) with the requirements of Article 1 C of the 1951 Convention.
• To align the length of permits for the three protection categories, and to grant secure and stable status with a residence permit of a longer duration (preferably a minimum of five years).
• To ensure that all children between 15 and 18 are entitled to family reunification, applying flexible and humane criteria, easing practical access and allowing other dependents beyond the nuclear family to reunite with their family members.
• To gradually increase the Danish resettlement quota, applying flexible selection criteria and granting resettled refugees permanent residence.
• To actively support a Common European Asylum System and consider formal participation in the new common system, refraining from the promotion of externalisation - as this presents a threat to the global asylum system - and rather strengthening cooperation with EU member states and countries of transit to expand the international protection space.