The Positive List for Skilled Work

Conditions you must meet

• The job must be included in the Positive List for Skilled WorkThe defining condition, quoted with the authority's own note that others follow.

  Your job must be included in the Positive List for Skilled Work. In addition, there are a number of other conditions.

• Salary and terms of employment must correspond to Danish standardsThe salary test for this route. There is no published pay threshold.

  Your salary and terms of employment must correspond to Danish standards. This means that your salary, holiday entitlements and terms of notice etc. must not be inferior to the standards in the professional field where you are going to work.

• Salary is assessed against Danmarks Statistik wage statistics for the occupationNames the actual benchmark, which is not a fixed figure.

  SIRI applies statistics based on Danmarks Statistik’s wage register as a guideline to assess whether the offered salary – in your application under the Positive List for Skilled Work – corresponds to Danish standards.

• Complying with a collective agreement does NOT automatically satisfy Danish standardsThe assumption most likely to lose an application, contradicted by the authority in its own words.

  Even if it is stated in the application that the employment is compliant to the applicable collective agreement, the employment conditions will not automatically be considered as equivalent to Danish standards.

• The employer must have met its apprenticeship training obligations under Læreplads-AUBA condition on the employer, not the applicant. Quoted with the sentence that introduces the two alternative tests.

  In order to be granted a residence permit based on the Positive List for Skilled Work, it is a condition that your employer has met their educational obligations regarding training of apprentices. Thus, your employer must be covered by Læreplads-AUB (Arbejdsgivernes Uddannelsesbidrag).

• The two ways the employer can meet the training targetBoth branches quoted together with the 'Or' between them, because either alone would misstate the test.

  In addition to this, at the time of the submission of the application your employer must: have reached the target number of trained apprentices that your employer has been required to train by Læreplads-AUB, in the latest calculated contribution year. You employer must also not have been required to pay additional contribution (merbidrag), which is an amount employers are required to pay, if they do not reach the target number, in the latest calculated contribution year. At present, the latest calculated contribution year is 2025. Or have reached the target number of trained apprentices that your employer has been required to train by Læreplads-AUB, in two out of the latest three calculated contribution years. You employer must also not have been required to pay additional contribution (merbidrag), which is an amount employers are required to pay, if they do not reach the target number, in two out of the latest three calculated contribution years. At present, the three latest calculated contribution years is 2023, 2024, and 2025.

• No exemption is possible from the employer's training obligationThe authority's own answer in its FAQ. Without it, a partially-compliant employer reads as an argument worth making.

  My employer only partially fulfills their educational obligations. Is it possible to make an exemption from this requirement? It is not possible to make exemptions from this requirement, when applying under the Positive List for Skilled Work.

• Salary must be paid into a Danish bank account in your own name

  Your salary must be paid into a Danish bank account in your own name, and the bank has to be operating legally in Denmark.

• The Danish bank account must be opened within 180 days

  Your Danish bank account must be opened within 180 days of your residence and work permit being granted. If you enter Denmark after you have been granted a residence and work permit, you must open a Danish bank account within 180 days from your entry into Denmark. If you already hold a Danish residence permit that is valid for at least 180 days, your salary must be paid into your Danish bank account from your first salary payment.

• Salary may consist only of liquid assets, labour-market pension payments and paid holiday allowance

  Your salary can only consist of: Salary in the form of liquid assets Payments to labour market pension schemes Paid holiday allowance

• Housing, per diems, car, phone, internet, benefits-in-kind and subscriptions do not countQuoted through the authority's own closing caveat that the list is not complete — dropping that line would present an exhaustive list the authority declined to give.

  Salary components like the following cannot be taken into account when assessing the wage level: •Paid living and housing expenses •Per diems •Free use of car •Paid phone •Paid internet •Benefits-in-kind •Subscriptions •Other services offered to you by your employer. The list is not complete.

• An accompanying family member must not have had a permit revoked more than once for lacking a work permit

  One of the conditions for a residence permit under this scheme is that an accompanying family member (spouse, cohabiting partner, children or in certain circumstances other family members) has not had its residence permit revoked more than once due to lack of a required work permit.

• A residence permit can only be valid until 3 months before the passport expires

  A residence permit can only be valid until 3 months before the expiry date of your passport.

• Losing the job revokes the permit

  You must inform SIRI if you lose your job. Your residence and work permit will be revoked as it is based on this exact job.

• The work permit is limited to the employment it was granted forUnlike the Pay Limit Scheme, a new position within the SAME company also needs a new permit.

  Your work permit is limited to the employment that is the basis for your permit. You are not allowed to work in other positions than the one stated in your permit.

• A new job — including a new position at the same company — requires a new permit

  If you are offered a new job, you must apply for a new permit. This also applies if you are offered a new position within the same company.

• A sideline job requires a separate permit

  If you wish to take a sideline job, you have to obtain a separate permit.

• You must support yourself and may not receive benefits under the Active Social Policy Act

  You must be able to support yourself and your family during your stay. For instance, you are not allowed to receive benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act – and there might be other benefits that you cannot receive.

• Giving up your Danish address or staying abroad over 6 successive months lapses the permit

  You must not give up your Danish address or stay abroad for longer than 6 successive months. A violation will result in the lapse of your permit. This means that you will lose your right to stay in Denmark.

Documents you must provide

• A copy of the employment contract or job offer must be attached, stating all terms

  When you apply, you must attach a copy of your employment contract or job offer. All terms of employment must be stated in the contract or the job offer.

Government fees

• Processing feeDKK 6,810

  Processing fee DKK 6,810,-

Also stated by the authority

Not requirements in themselves. These are alternatives, exemptions, rights and warnings the authority publishes alongside the requirements — quoted here because they can change what applies to you.

• The list is updated twice a year — 1 January and 1 JulyA job on the list today may not be on it at the next revision.

  The Positive List for Skilled Work is updated twice a year – 1 January and 1 July.

• Normal processing time, and the longer time if information is missingThree months normally, four if SIRI needs more — both quoted, because the first alone reads as a commitment.

  Normal processing time 3 months If further information is needed, the processing time can be up to 4 months

• One month before starting work — but only if you declare you can support yourself

  If you apply from abroad, you can be granted a residence permit valid for 1 month before you start working. It will give you the time to settle in Denmark. When you apply, you must declare that you can support yourself and any accompanying family members during this time. If you do not declare this, your residence permit will be valid for 14 days before you start working.

• Permit length follows the employment, capped at four years

  If you are employed for a shorter period than 4 years, your residence and work permit will normally be valid for the period of your employment. If your employment is for a period of 4 years or more, you will normally be granted a permit valid for 4 years.