Denmark
Updated AR1 application form for first-time applicants who have been offered a job in Denmark
The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) has announced that on 27 March 2026 it will update application form AR1 with a simpler structure and improved guidance that clarifies what information is required.
AR1 can be used for several schemes for first-time applicants who have been offered a job in Denmark. This update will provide a more streamlined application process and several language improvements.
Employers who have started the first part of an AR1 before 27 March 2026 must ensure that they submit their part of the application with enough time left for the employee to complete and submit their part of the application by Sunday 26 April 2026.
Employees whose employer has already either started or submitted the first part of an AR1 before 27 March 2026 must submit their part of the application by Sunday 26 April 2026. The same applies if they have already started filling in part 2 of the application.
Employers and employees can find their ongoing applications here.
If the employer starts an application after 26 March 2026, they and the employee will automatically complete the updated AR1.
Which schemes are affected?
AR1 can be used to apply for the following schemes:
- The Pay Limit scheme
- The Supplementary Pay Limit scheme
- The Positive List for People with a Higher Education
- The Positive List for Skilled Work
- Researcher (not PhD)
- Guest researcher
- Trainee
- Special individual qualifications
- Mobile workplaces at sea
- Herdsman or farm manager
- Labour Market Attachment.
New access to entry to the Faroe Islands and Greenland for third-country nationals
The Danish immigration authorities have announced that, effective immediately, third-country nationals holding a residence permit in Denmark or another Schengen country can travel to the Faroe Islands and Greenland on the basis of their residence permit.
The change has been made following consultation with the Faroese and Greenlandic authorities.
Holder of a residence permit in Denmark or another Schengen country
A third-country national who has a residence permit in Denmark or another Schengen country can travel to the Faroe Islands and Greenland on the basis of their residence permit.
This means that they:
- no longer need a visa to travel to the Faroe Islands or Greenland if their residence permit has been issued by a Schengen country other than Denmark.
- no longer need an entry permit if they travel from Denmark to the Faroe Islands or Greenland.
Holder of a residence card issued under EU regulations
A third-country national who has a right to reside in the EU/EEA countries and Switzerland as a family member of an EU citizen (who is covered by the EU regulations on free movement under Directive 2004/38/EC) may also enter the Faroe Islands and Greenland on the basis of their residence card.
Holder of a D visa from another Schengen country
A third-country national who only has a long-stay visa issued by a Schengen country other than Denmark (D visa) must still obtain a visa in order to enter the Faroe Islands or Greenland.
Those in Denmark for a short stay on a visa (C visa) who wish to travel onward to the Faroe Islands or Greenland and who do not hold a visa valid for the Faroe Islands or Greenland must apply for an entry permit.
Documents to bring when entering
Travellers to the Faroe Islands or Greenland must bring their residence permit (physical residence card), and valid travel documentation.
Sweden
New work permit rules announced
The Riksdag (Swedish parliament) has decided on new rules for employment immigration, including new salary and health insurance requirements for work permits and a longer duration of stay for certain permit holders. The legislative changes will come into effect on 1 June 2026.
Among the key changes, a new wage requirement means that the salary must amount to at least 90 percent of the median salary in Sweden at the time of application. it remains the case that the salary and other employment conditions must not be worse than what follows from collective agreements or practices in the profession or industry.
The government will have the opportunity to decide later on exemptions from the new salary requirement for certain professional groups, and to decide that certain professional groups will not be granted work permits.
Higher income requirements are also being introduced for (intra-company transfer (ICT) permits and seasonal work permits.
A requirement for comprehensive health insurance is also being introduced for people who will be staying in Sweden for a maximum of one year. Anyone applying for a work permit for a shorter stay will therefore need to show that there is an application for such insurance.
The permit period for EU Blue Cards is extended to up to four years and the permit period for seasonal work is extended from six to nine months over a twelve-month period.
People who have a residence permit to seek employment or investigate the conditions for conducting business activities after completing research or studies will have expanded opportunities to apply for a residence permit for research or studies at the doctoral level without leaving Sweden.
Under the new rules, an application for a work permit can be rejected if there are circumstances that concern the employer. This could, for example, involve certain crimes or sanctions.
In addition, two new crimes are introduced in the Aliens Act: exploitation of foreign labour and trafficking in work permits. The financial penalty is also increased for anyone who employs a person who does not have the right to reside or work in Sweden.
The new rules will enter into force on 1 June 2026. There is a special transitional provision for the new salary requirement. During a transitional period of six months from the entry into force, the new salary requirement will not apply to extension applications for work permits that have been granted under the older rules.
This means that anyone who already has a work permit according to today’s rules, and who applies for an extension between 1 June and 1 December 2026, is not covered by the new salary requirement.
However, the new salary requirement applies to applications that are made for the first time and where a decision is not made before 1 June 2026. The salary requirement also applies to extension applications that relate to permits that were initially granted according to the new rules and to applications for extended work permits that are received after 1 December 2026.
