Government toys with new criteria for selecting refugees

Amnesty International argues that refugees should only be selected according to who is in greatest need of protection, but government may require that they have family in Denmark

If a refugee has a family connection to Denmark they may stand a greater chance of being allowed to resettle in the country.

This family criteria may help guide the government when it selects the 500 so-called ‘quota refugees’ from a list drawn up by the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Since 2005 the government has selected the quota refugees based on their perceived ability to integrate, but the current S-R-SF government promised to abolish this criterion after it took power in 2011.

New family criteria
The government included the change in its law catalogue for this year but has so far not settled on how it will replace the integration criteria.

READ MORE: Integration no longer a criteria for accepting refugees

In a letter to Amnesty International that was shared with Politiken newspaper, Justice Minister Morten Bødskov (S) wrote that he is considering the family criteria.

Amnesty disappointed
Bødskov explained that refugees would have an easier time adapting to their new life in Denmark if they had family here to help them.

But Amnesty International and far left party Enhedslisten are disappointed and argue that refugees should only be selected according to how vulnerable they are.

The immigration spokesperson for Socialdemokraterne, Ole Hækkerup, said that the government had so far not made any firm decisions.

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