The Kingdom of Denmark is situated in Northern Europe. This Scandinavian nation consists of Denmark, Faroe Islands and Greenland. A nation of many islands, it is the place for those who love to be in the lap of nature at all times. There are about hundreds of minor islands which are collectively known as the Danish Archipelago.

We can broadly classify the Danish migration process in 2 steps:

• Qualified residence in the country for 5 years
• Permanent residence resulting into the citizenship of the country through naturalization

Qualified residence period generally includes many passages through which one can be applicationted to reside in the country for stipulated period i.e:

• Initially for study, then for work
• By institution of marriage
• Green card

If we really analyze different paths of gaining residence for stipulated period of 5 years in Denmark, the Green card is the most common passage used by migrants.

Denmark Green Card Points Based system assess the prospective applicants on the basis of their skills (educational background, proficiency in the language and adaptability) and allows them to get a temporary residence application visa on the basis of their qualifications for the motto of getting employment in the nation. The applicants are entitled for bonus points if they have earned their qualifications from an eligible university. Moreover, the entitlement to get extra points increases by having the presence of an occupation on the Positive List for Denmark. Scoring mandatory points allows an applicant to get a temporary residence application (provided other pre-requisites are fulfilled too). Entry of spouse and dependent children is applicable in cases too.

• Academic qualifications
• Linguistic skills in two language combination
  • Either of Scandinavian languages
  • English or German

ADAPTABILITY FACTOR

Indian academic qualifications are often ordered to a correlation study by the Danish Agency for Labor Retention and International Recruitment through Danish Agency for Universities and Internationalization, an agency under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education. A positive assessment guarantees full marks for academic qualifications. It is necessary to substantiate:

• Your ability to finance your stay in Denmark along
• Necessary health covers until you are included in Danish health care network

On successful assessment of candidature, authorities award the green card to a migrant for an initial period of 2 yearsand before the end of this period you can apply for an extension of 3 years. It is compulsory for a migrant to file for renewal well in advance of the expiry date of residence permission under green card. It should be essentially noticed that onus of getting a renewal lies completely of a migrant and any negligence on part of migrant in applying as per instruction of advance request for renewal then it could result in cancellation of application, if the renewal of permission is not granted well within the validity period, in which case a migrant may be forced to leave Denmark. 

Denmark is experiencing a shortage of skilled workforce, as a major population is approaching retirement. To cater to this need, the Positive List has been introduced by the Denmark Government which enlists all the occupations which are in need of skilled professionals. Foreign professionals who are not the citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland are applicationted to work under the Positive List Scheme. They can even acquire a residence application under the same. However, they need to obtain a job offer with a Danish employer before coming to Denmark.

The Positive List offers numerous opportunities for those seeking employment in Denmark. Some of the sectors include the following:

• IT and Communication
• Academia
• Education, Social and Religious Work
• Management
• Healthcare Industry
• Engineers

There are many different professional areas under the above industrial sectors. In order to live and work in Denmark, an applicant has to apply for immigration under the Denmark Green Card Scheme. 

The Kingdom of Denmark offers a Green Card for those who intend to live and work in Denmark. The Green Card encompasses a residence and a work application which is issued to selected applicants by the Government of Denmark.

• This scheme applications the family members of the applicant to accompany subject to the applicant having an employment in Denmark.
• The spouse or the partner is applicationted to seek a full-time employment opportunity till their visa is valid. However, it is mandatory that the entire family lives at one address in Denmark.
• This Green Card is issued to the selected applicant after a thorough evaluation with the help of a Points Based System. This system has been developed to assess the ability of an applicant or a prospective immigrant to seek qualified employment in Denmark.
• However, a Nordic citizen is applicationted to study, work and reside in Denmark without any terms and conditions. Citizens from the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) or Swiss nationals can live in Denmark as per the rules of Freedom of Movement set by the EU. These immigrants might be subject to specific regulations.

The eligibility criteria are assessed on a Points Based System. For each criterion, the applicant would be assigned certain points. He would have to score minimum passing marks for his application to be processed. Bonus points could also be scored under some of the categories. The key areas for scoring points are:

• Academic Qualifications: A maximum of 130 points could be scored under this category. An applicant must have qualifications which are equivalent to a Danish Bachelor’s degree or Master’s Degree. For this, an assessment of the academic credentials would be done by Danish Agency for Higher Education which is the designated body. Here, bonus points could also be scored if the acquired qualifications are from a top ranking university or institution. Also, if the education caters to one of the occupations mentioned on the Positive List.*
• Language Skills: A maximum of 40 points could be scored here. This criterion assesses the knowledge of an applicant in Danish, English, German or Norwegian. Separate points could be scored for one Scandinavian language (Norwegian, Swedish or Danish) and either English or German. Documentary evidence should be provided for a passed language.

• Adaptability: 15 points could be earned under this category. Points are awarded to those applicants who have either studied or worked in a nation under the European Union/European Economic Area. However, points could be claimed for either work experience or educational qualifications. Adaptability points can also be given for Danish language *Positive list: It is a list of occupations which are currently in short of professionals in Denmark. Under the Positive List Scheme, foreign migrants (not belonging to EU or Switzerland) are eligible to live and work in Denmark in the occupations mentioned in this list.