DENMARK: Asylum and immigration
01 January 1991
DENMARK: Asylum and immigration
Bosnian refugees
Bosnians granted permission to seek asylum
17,000 Bosnians with temporary residence permits will be allowed
to seek permanent asylum in Denmark, although how many of them
will eventually be granted asylum will depend on the situation
in Bosnia when their temporary residence permits expire at the
end of the year.
The Danish Refugee Help group has warned that the Directorate
for Aliens will be unable to cope with the extra work-load if all
17,000 Bosnians seek asylum. New legislation going through
parliament is aimed at reducing the time spent processing asylum
applications from up to four years to ten months (Jyllands-Posten
16,17.3, 20,21.4.94).
No accommodation available for Bosnian refugees
The Danish Red Cross has said that it has run out of
accommodation for Bosnian refugees in the reception centres where
Bosnians on temporary residence permits are presently housed. A
working party under the Ministry of Finance is currently seeking
public buildings suitable for accommodating the refugees
(Jyllands-Posten 19,21.3.94).
Meanwhile, local authorities have expressed fears that new
ghettos housing Bosnian refugees will be formed. The President
of the National Association of District Councils, Evan Jensen,
said: `The refugees who are granted asylum will without doubt
seek to live near one another, as has already happened in Aarhus.
This will happen in more towns and we will be unable to do
anything about it' (Jyllands-Posten 21.4.94).
Bosnians demonstrate over lack of medical treatment
Bosnians invited to Denmark to receive specialist medical
treatment staged a demonstration in Copenhagen to protest over
their long wait for hospital treatment and poor living conditions
in cramped refugee hostels. Two hundred and twenty one Bosnians
were invited to Denmark in 1993 to receive medical treatment. If
Denmark is unable to provide the promised treatment, the sick
Bosnians say they would like to return home again. At the moment,
this is not possible because of their special immigration status
(Jyllands-Posten 18.6.94).
Residence and welfare rights
Investigation into residence permit applications
Home Secretary, Birte Weiss has ordered an investigation into the
way the Directorate for Aliens handles residence permit
applications. It seems that the rules for foreign nationals
seeking residence permits so that they can live with their
families has become so strict that it is almost impossible for
an unemployed Dane to bring a foreign spouse into the country.
Under regulations brought in 1992 family members living in
Denmark have to prove that they have the means to provide for
relatives seeking entry (Jyllands-Posten 27.5.94).
Passport checks for welfare benefits unlawful
Holstebro district council acted illegally when it demanded to
see refugees' passports and residence permits before paying out
social welfare benefits, says the Board of Supervision (Jyllands-
Posten 29.3.94).
The district council did not, however, break the law when it
threatened to stop welfare benefits to refugees who refused to
sign a declaration allowing the authority to check how often
refugees were absent from Danish classes. The Board found that
there was no question of discrimination in this case as all
welfare claimants were subject to the same requirement (Jyllands
Posten 29.3.94).
Appalling conditions on `Flotel Europa'
Rats are regular visitors on board the refugee ship `Flotel
Europa' where several cases of hepatitis have been diagnosed.
There are, however, no plans to close down the ship, anchored in
Copenhagen harbour, as the Directorate for Aliens cannot afford
to lose the accommodation space (Jyllands-Posten 21.3.94).
Crime statistics for immigrants released
For the first time, the Justice Ministry has issued a report that
links crime with asylum-seekers, immigrants, refugees and
tourists. According to th