Conference to shed light on green card issues

New retroactive rules will leave many in a pinch

Oct 21, 2014

The Danish Green Card Association (DGCA) is holding a conference on Wednesday October 22 at 17:00 to discuss the general environment for green card holders in Denmark.

The principal topic of discussion at the 2014 Green Card Conference at Gammeltoftsgade 15 in the centre of Copenhagen will be the new political reforms concerning the green card scheme that were agreed to by the government earlier this year. The DGCA contends that the problem with the new rules is that they are being applied retroactively.

“There are so many people already integrated who have a life here now, but they will have to leave because the new laws are retroactive,” Muhammad Abu Sayeed, the media co-ordinator for DGCA, told the Copenhagen Post.

“I don't have a problem with the new law as such, but there are many people who came here under the conditions of the previous green card scheme up to five years ago, and they are now having the rug pulled out from under them. That is the central issue.”

Demonstration on November 3
In June, the government revealed that the green card scheme would be shortened and the language competency requirements tightened, while more stringent criteria will be applied to the granting of extensions.

Among the guest speakers taking part in the conference are Torben Møller Hansen, the head of new-Dane organisation Nydansker, immigration lawyer Åge Kramp and Bashy Quraishy, a human rights activist who is a council member at the Institute for Human Rights.

Also expected to speak are Aino Birk Vedel, the secretariat head at the local government organisation LO in Copenhagen, and Abbas Razvi, a parliamentary candidate and member of the regional capital authorities, Region Hovedstaden.

Additionally, the DGCA has also organised a demonstration in front of parliament on Monday November 3 at 14:00 to peacefully protest against the new rules.

According to the DGCA, there are up to 7,000 green card holders in Denmark, and this does not include their family members.