This column is written on behalf of my wife, who has several years of professional experience in India. She left a well-paid and stable job there to join me in Denmark through family reunification, after I relocated for an IT position.
Since arriving, she has devoted significant time and effort to integrating into Danish society—most notably, by studying the Danish language and successfully passing the official exams. She actively applies for jobs every day, even calling hospitals directly, but continues to face rejection or complete silence.
Unfortunately, the immigration system failed her. SIRI did not process her visa extension within the expected three months and did not issue a letter confirming her right to work during the pending application period.
As a result, she lost even her non-professional job—another consequence of institutional negligence.
With a heavy heart, my wife is now considering leaving the country. She wanted to share her story, so others are aware of the unseen struggles many immigrants face, even when they do everything right.
Denmark is short of nurses.
Yet, foreign-trained healthcare professionals – especially those from non-EU countries – are systematically pushed aside, even though they have met all the requirements.
Many have passed Danish language tests, submitted applications and waited patiently for over two years.
But they are still jobless, without answers and without hope.
Problems starts at SIRI
The problem starts with the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).
The authority routinely exceeds its own processing times, delaying both visa extensions and approvals of foreign education.
Extensions that should take three months often extend far beyond this – without communication, without updates and without accountability.
Even worse, SIRI does not issue any kind of documentation that would give applicants the right to work while their case is being processed.
This means that employers – including hospitals and social welfare institutions – refuse to hire or retain foreign professionals during the process.
Those responsible at hospitals and municipalities avoid contacting SIRI for clarification. The result? Nurses lose their jobs and are forced into unemployment.
Feels like a structural exclusion
This is not just inefficiency. It feels like a structural exclusion.
Many are forced out of desperation to take unskilled jobs such as cleaning or warehouse work, even though they have many years of clinical experience.
Denmark needs their skills – but they are being kept out. The question arises: Is this just bureaucracy, or is it discrimination?
Applicants from developing countries systematically experience longer waiting times, fewer responses and poorer treatment.
Applicants from Western countries do not seem to face the same resistance. The signal being sent is clear – and deeply problematic.
Denmark is built on values such as equality, justice and respect. But in practice, it doesn’t look like that.
Immigrants who come here willingly and professionally are ignored and downgraded – by both authorities and employers.
This needs to be done
Therefore, the Ministry of Immigration and Integration must act now:
- Enforce clear deadlines and transparency in SIRI’s case processing.
- Issue temporary work permits during ongoing applications.
- Release pending job openings and approvals in the healthcare sector.
- Hold hospitals and municipalities accountable for fair recruitment practices.
- Investigate whether systemic bias plays a role in case processing times.
Denmark cannot afford to waste the talent of those who are already here – ready to work and contribute.
If we truly believe in equality and integration, then we must also act accordingly.
