With support from some of the largest unions in Denmark and the national associations for youth and students, Action Aid Denmark launched a campaign aiming to change the country's citizenship legislation, which contains criteria that is among the toughest in the world. Despite this, a majority in parliament recently voted to uphold the current rules.
 
Young people who are born in Denmark to foreign parents or who arrived as small children and grew up in the country often struggle to meet the citizenship criteria: a child cannot be granted Danish citizenship unless at least one parent is a Danish citizen. Further, when they do apply for citizenship or permanent residence, another criterium states that education does not count as time spent in the country: many young people are therefore forced to choose work over higher education.
 
The campaigners' argument is that education should be viewed in the same way as work when it comes to citizenship application; that education is important for the individual as well as for the national economy and should therefore be seen as a proof of successful integration. The campaign is running a petition, sharing a series of personal case studies of those affected by the legislation on social media channels and online news outlets, published a 17-page report and held a conference with participation of 4 politicians.

One case study used in the campaign is that of Anders, who was born in Denmark. He said: 'I’m 25 and I’m still on a temporary residence permit. I study medicine, and I will finish next year. Then I must work full-time for three and a half years to get a permanent residence permit, and two years after I get that I can apply for citizenship. With the processing time, I will be 35 years old before I become a citizen with full rights in my home country. I find that unjust and absurd.'

The percentage of adults residing in Denmark without Danish citizenship has risen significantly as a result of the introduction of these criteria, from 1.9% in 1980 to 10.5% in 2023. This figure includes 77 000 people born and raised in Denmark. The Danish Institute for Human Rights criticised these implications for young people in a substantial report published in 2021.