Denmark
New rules for third-country students in non-state-approved higher educational programmes
On 30 April 2025, the Ministry of Immigration and Integration published an amendment to the ‘Executive Order on the granting of residence and work permits to students’ (the Executive Order on study programmes). The amendment means that students from third-countries in non-state-approved higher educational programmes will no longer be granted limited work permits, six-month job search stays and the right to bring accompanying family.
The changes will apply from 2 May 2025 and only apply to applications for a residence permit as a student or accompanying family submitted from 2 May 2025.
The purpose of the changes is to ensure that residence permits are only granted to third-country students whose real intention is to study in Denmark.
The changes do not apply to foreign nationals who have applied for or been granted a residence permit as a student in a non-state-approved higher educational programme before 2 May 2025. These students will continue to have the right to a limited work permit, a six-month job search stay and the right to bring accompanying family to Denmark. These students will continue with the same rights if they apply for an extension of their residence permit from 2 May 2025.
Nor do the changes apply to foreign nationals who have applied for or been granted a residence permit as an accompanying family member of a student in a non-state-approved higher educational programme before 2 May 2025. These accompanying family members will continue with the same rights if they apply for an extension of their residence permit from 2 May 2025.
Standardisation of the registration practice concerning people from Taiwan
The Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration and its related agencies, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) and the Danish Immigration Service, have previously had an inconsistent practice regarding the registration of people from Taiwan. The ministry is now standardising this practice, which means that all information about nationality and place of birth will be registered in the same way, concerning people from Taiwan.
In the future, “Taiwan” or “the Republic of China” will no longer be used in contexts referring to recognized states or nationality (citizenship). Instead, “Taiwan” will now be used in contexts where it refers to the geographical area.
This change will be important to the information that is stated on residence cards, legislations concerning citizenship notices, certificates of citizenship etc. By using this new practice, SIRI and the Danish Immigration Service will register “Taiwan” as place of birth and “China” as nationality (citizenship).
From now on, all first-time applications and applications for extensions will be processed through this new practice. If SIRI or the Danish Immigration Service during the case processing of an application (such as an extension) concludes that the registration of the place of birth or nationality is different than the newly implemented practice, this registration will, as a rule, be changed to the new practice before we make a decision regarding the case.
SIRI and the Danish Immigration Service will not go through previous registrations and make changes regarding nationality or place of birth on their own initiative.
If you are registered in a different way other than the new practice, you can have this changed by contacting the authority that has issued your residence card.
Finland
Entry ban and maximum detention period extended; more detailed provisions given on the right to reside in Finland after a decision on removal from the country
A set of amendments to the Aliens Act is entering into force on 6 May 2025. The amendments lay down more detailed provisions on the definition of legal residence. The amendments also extend the duration of an entry ban and the maximum detention period. There is no transitional period for the amendments.
The purpose of the amendments is to strengthen security and to increase the efficiency of removals from the country in situations where a foreign national is residing illegally in Finland. One of the factors contributing to the amendments is the EU legislation on asylum and return.
Right of residence more strongly linked with enforcement of decision on removal from the country
As a result of the amendments, the possibility to reside in Finland for all customers who have received a decision on removal from the country depends on when the customer’s removal decision becomes enforceable. The decision becomes enforceable when the time limit set for voluntary return starts, or at the point when authorities could remove the person from the country. The decision given to the customer states when the customer must leave Finland at the latest. Residence in Finland becomes illegal when the customer no longer holds a residence permit or a visa, for example, or if the customer has not submitted an application while the previous residence permit was still valid.
The residence of a person who applies for a first residence permit or for an extended permit becomes illegal immediately when the Finnish Immigration Service makes a negative decision on the application and the person has no other valid grounds for residing in Finland. This was the case even before the amendments. In addition, residence becomes illegal in situations where the customer’s current permit expires and the customer has not applied for a new permit before the expiry. Foreign nationals who reside in Finland illegally can no longer make their residence in Finland legal by submitting a new residence permit application. Now, the granting of a permit depends even more strongly on legal residence in the country with a residence permit or a visa, for example.
A customer who receives a negative decision will usually also receive a decision on removal from the country. No new removal decision is issued if a customer applies for a new permit after receiving a negative decision. This will lead to a shorter waiting time for enforcement of removal from the country since its counting starts earlier, on the day when the decision on removal from the country was issued. The police are responsible for enforcing removals from the country.
A person who applies for international protection is not required to reside in Finland legally when he or she submits the application. For a person who has applied for international protection, residence in Finland is legal until a decision has been made on the application. If an applicant receives a negative decision on their asylum application and applies for asylum again, the Finnish Immigration Service decides whether or not the application can be admitted for examination. In such cases, the applicant may not necessarily be allowed to continue residing in Finland despite submitting a subsequent application.
An applicant who has received a negative decision may appeal against the decision but residence in Finland during the appeal process is illegal.
Fixed-term entry bans may be valid for up to 15 years
When the amendments have entered into force, a fixed-term entry ban for up to 15 years may be imposed on a third-country national. Before the amendments, the Aliens Act allowed fixed-term entry bans of up to 5 years to be imposed on third-country nationals. Issuing an entry ban that is valid until further notice is still possible even after the amendments. An entry ban will usually prohibit entry into the entire European Union area and the Schengen area.
Customers who reside in Finland and receive a decision on removal from the country now have an obligation to cooperate. The obligation to cooperate means that the customer is required to cooperate with the authorities in all stages of the removal process. An entry ban may be imposed on a customer who refuses to comply with the obligation to cooperate.
Duration of detention extended
A foreign national may be detained in certain situations laid down in law, such as when there are grounds to suspect that the person will try to avoid being removed from the country. Detaining a person becomes possible also if detention is considered necessary for ensuring public security.
The maximum time for holding a client who has received a decision on removal from the country in detention is extended from 12 months to 18 months. The detention period may be extended from 6 months to 12 months already before issuing a decision on removal from the country if the person is considered a danger to public order and security or to national security.
The Finnish Immigration Service has now been given the right to impose a residence obligation or an obligation to report on an asylum seeker who lives in a reception centre and is at least 18 years of age.
The decisions on detaining a person are made by the police or the border authorities. The Finnish Immigration Service runs the detention units and is responsible for directing, planning and supervising the practical detention unit operations.
