Danish Green Card: Discontinued — What Replaced It

The Danish Green Card scheme was discontinued on 10 June 2016. It is not possible to apply for a Danish Green Card today, regardless of what other sites or agencies may claim. If you're researching Denmark work options, here are the routes that actually exist in 2026.

Denmark now selects skilled foreign workers primarily through salary-based and shortage-occupation schemes, administered by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI):

• Pay Limit Scheme — for a confirmed job offer at or above DKK 552,000/year (2026 threshold, reviewed annually on 1 January). No specific field or educational background is required. Processing fee DKK 6,810; normal processing time 1 month (up to 3 if more information is needed).
• Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme — a lower salary floor of DKK 446,000/year (2026), but with stricter conditions: the role must have been publicly advertised, and it's only open when Denmark's unemployment rate is below a set level. Same DKK 6,810 fee; normal processing time 2 months (up to 5).
• Positive List for Higher Education — for occupations in shortage requiring a higher-education qualification.
• Positive List for Skilled Work — for shortage occupations at a skilled-trade level. Both Positive Lists are refreshed twice a year, on 1 January and 1 July.
• Fast-Track Scheme — available through SIRI-certified Danish employers, offering faster processing and more flexible start dates; uses the same salary thresholds as the Pay Limit Scheme.

Figures sourced from Denmark's official immigration authority, New to Denmark (nyidanmark.dk), and reviewed against SIRI's 2026 threshold update. Salary thresholds are revised every 1 January — confirm the current figure before relying on it.

The right route depends on your salary offer, your occupation, and whether your employer is Fast-Track certified — not on a single eligibility checklist. An honest assessment looks at your actual job offer and salary against the current thresholds before you commit to an application.

Get an honest read on your Denmark options

Cosmos works through named, licensed professionals to assess which of these routes — if any — currently fits your situation, and won't recommend applying for a route that isn't right for your profile.