Foreign Nationals seeking residence and work permits in Denmark must stay informed about updated rules, especially regarding salary assessments. The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) recently issued new guidelines on evaluating offered salaries to ensure they meet Danish standards.
On September 27, 2024, SIRI released an updated practice note for assessing whether an offered salary aligns with Danish wage standards. These updates affect applications already submitted and future ones, with a special focus on key work schemes.
Inclusion of New Work Schemes: The practice note now covers the Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme and the Fast-track Scheme’s supplementary pay limit track, reflecting recent changes in Danish employment regulations.
Affected Work Schemes
The updated practice note covers several schemes, including:
Pay Limit Scheme
Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme
Fast-track Scheme (five tracks)
Researcher Scheme
Positive List for People with Higher Education
Work permits for family members of employees
Clarification on Collective Agreements
SIRI will generally not assess salaries in cases covered by collective agreements. However, for employers who are members of an Employer’s organization, SIRI will assess salaries, in contrast, up to the level just above the regular pay limit.
Evaluation of Other Employment Terms
In addition to salary assessment, SIRI will also evaluate whether other material terms of employment correspond to Danish standards.
Income Statistics and Application Deadlines
SIRI will use the updated income statistics, released earlier this week, to process work permit applications starting from October 1, 2024. They update these statistics quarterly, with the next change set for January 1, 2025.
For applicants:
– If you apply for a residence and work permit after September 30, 2024, SIRI will evaluate your application using the income statistics from the second quarter of 2024.
– If you applied between July 1 and September 30, 2024, SIRI will evaluate your application using the first quarter 2024 pay figures.
Salary Threshold Increase from October 2024
Apart form these, starting October 1, 2024, Denmark will also implement higher salary requirements for foreign workers. Under the new rules, work permit applicants must earn at least 10% more than the current minimum threshold to be eligible.
Stay Updated
With frequent updates to salary guidelines and income statistics, applicants for Danish work and residence permits should remain aware of these changes to ensure the smooth processing of their applications.
