Between 2015 and 2019, residence permits for non-EU residents were limited to 1-2 years, with renewal and assessment every second year. This was one of the cornerstones of the so-called “paradigm shift” in Danish asylum policy, with the aim of moving away from integration and towards short-term residence and return. UNHCR warned that the move could have negative consequences for integration.
 
A permanent residence permit cannot be granted to migrants in Denmark before the age of 18, and not until 8 years of legal stay have been completed. Besides the length of stay a number of other criteria must be met, mainly concerning Danish language skills and proof of full-time work. Children who were born in Denmark or arrived before the age of 10 are exempted from the work criteria but must have attended school.
 
A new report from Save the Children and VIA University College, “Ung i Usikkerhed (Youth In Uncertainty)”, describes findings on how this new approach of temporariness affects children with a refugee background. The report has 3 parts:

• a literature study of recent research on the topic;
• a juridical analysis of current legislation and practice;
• a qualitative study on 33 children aged 13 - 17 from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Syria.

In the report the children describe how they find it difficult to feel safe, to plan their education and to develop relationships as a result of the new approach. Many fear turning 18, because of the risk that this may open their status up for review and ultimately lead to deportation.
 
The report states that children’s lives become circular, repetitive periods of re-thinking their future, creating stress. Integration is still important in their everyday lives, but the longer term incentives for it now feel less relevant. Further, the report finds, it is more difficult for teachers and other professionals to work with and encourage such children.
 
The final conclusion of the report is that growing up with uncertainty about their future and with a very weak 'official' tie to the country they are living in has a negative impact on refugee children in terms of their mental health, creating anxiety and loneliness. Save The Children uses the report to urge the Danish state to make access to permanent stay easier for all children.
 
The report is so far only published in Danish. The authors can be contacted via cko@redbarnet.dk.

Image source: Save the Children Denmark, 2024.