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27 October 2022

Denmark: Status of those displaced from Ukraine

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At the end of October 2022, 30 000 people displaced from Ukraine have been granted a permit under the Special Act - similar to the EU directive on temporary protection - in Denmark. The influx has been stable since the spring, with around 300 new arrivals per month. Those from Ukraine have seen a positive welcome and reception in Denmark; a development from the way in which the country received refugees from Syria in 2015 and evacuees from Afghanistan in 2021.

Labour market integration

An ongoing concern for the Danish government is the fact that far fewer women from so-called non-western countries are employed in comparison with ethnic Danish women. Those displaced from Ukraine already seem to be doing well on the labour market, however the figures that relate to their employment can sometimes be misleading, referring to statistics from 2020 that include the employment of those who came to Denmark from Ukraine under employment schemes. Such statistics predate the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia that led to the most recent influx of displaced people from Ukraine in Europe.

This said, many of those newly arrived from Ukraine - the vast majority of whom are single women, many with children - have indeed been very successful on the Danish labour market. 48 % of those able to work are already supporting themselves, which is unusually fast. This could be a result of the generally positive attitudes towards them on the part of both the Danish government and the population, combined with the fact that the majority did not have to spend months or years in isolated asylum camps or navigating complicated systems before being able integrate, but rather were hosted by local people and granted immediate access to schools and the labour market.

Future challenges

Something given little attention in Danish media is the fact that 589 new arrivals from Ukraine have been rejected under the Special Act for not meeting the relevant criteria. Their appeals must be handled by the Immigration Board, where the waiting time was already two years before the war in Ukraine started.

More than 2 000 people from Ukraine applied for asylum in Denmark, but around half of these withdrew their application after being granted legal stay under the Special Act. The rest of the cases are still on hold, as Danish authorities wait to see how the war in Ukraine develops. This means that around 700 Ukrainians are currently living in asylum camps as they await a decision on their status.

All permits granted to those from Ukraine under the Special Act will expire on 17 March 2024. After that, the government may decide to extend the protection for another year. The long-term situation for those displaced from Ukraine in Demark is uncertain: those unwilling to voluntarily return to Ukraine once the situation stabilises may face difficulties, unless they can apply to stay as part of a work scheme. Generally speaking, eight years of legal stay is required before one can apply for permanent residence in Denmark, and there are also strict criteria concerning Danish language skills, employment, social benefits, debt to the state and knowledge about Danish society.

Details

Publication dates
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Denmark
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Posted by
Michala Clante Bendixen
Country Coordinator

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