Minister backtracks on family reunification for foreigners in Denmark

Copenhagen Post:

A revision of the nation's strict family reunification laws making it easier for some foreigners to bring their families to Denmark is in the works, the minister of integration, Rikke Hvilshøj, announced on Wednesday.

Critics from within Denmark and abroad have labelled the country's current family reunification policies as unfair, as they require applicants to prove that they can support family members without public assistance.

Hvilshøj acknowledged that the law had unintentional consequences for families.

'We have made some adjustments that, hopefully, can give more people the possibility of being reunified with their families,' she said.

The new legislation would allow immigrants' personal property in their homeland to be included in calculations and give dispensation to couples wishing to start their own business.

Hvilshøj emphasised, however, the requirements had not been eased but adjusted.

'The requirement of being able to support the applicant remains unchanged, but we have listened to and registered cases where we have asked ourselves if this was the purpose of the requirement,' she said.

The Danish Institute for Human Rights, a long-standing critic of the family reunification laws, praised the government initiative.

'We've said that the rules should not be so rigid when you administer a law that has such serious consequences for individuals. In a number of areas, our critique has been listened to,' said Maria Ventegodt Liisberg, a legal assistant at the institute.

Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen, the immigration affairs spokesperson for the opposition's Social Liberals, also offered her approval.

'I don't care what the government calls it. This is a major revision and a step in the right direction,' she said.

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