Denmark tightens rules for foreign students, cuts work permit stay

Denmark to tighten rules for Indian, Bangladeshi and Nepali students with tougher entry tests, fewer family visas and shorter post-study work permits

Students from third-world countries, including India and Bangladesh, planning to study in Denmark will soon find it more difficult to secure places at universities.

 

The Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration announced on September 18 that it would take a “number of initiatives” to prevent student stays from being used as a backdoor into the Danish labour market.

 

According to the ministry, it will become “significantly more difficult” for students from countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal to gain admission unless they can prove they hold the right academic qualifications.

 

“We have seen a huge increase in recent years in students and accompanying families from Bangladesh and Nepal in particular,” said Kaare Dybvad Bek, then minister for immigration and integration. Bek, who was replaced just days later by Rasmus Stoklund, added: “We know that students from these two countries have a higher dropout rate than other foreigners, and that there are challenges with their academic and language level. At the same time, they work more than other foreign students, and to a much greater extent this is unskilled work. When you come to Denmark on a curriculum, the main purpose should of course be to study. That goes without saying.”

 

New initiatives announced

 

The ministry has outlined a set of measures, including:

 

< Tightening entry requirements through entrance exams and targeted language tests

< Stronger checks on student documents, with universities required to verify educational certificates in cooperation with the National ID Center

< A review of residence permits already issued to Bangladeshi and Nepali students to detect possible fraud

< Restricting opportunities for international students to bring family members

< Reducing the post-study work permit period from three years to one

 

The steps follow restrictions introduced earlier this year on work permits for students enrolled in certain unaccredited courses.

 

Numbers behind the policy

 

Government data shows clear differences between nationalities when it comes to family reunification. Between 2022 and 2024, only 1 per cent of residence permits for Chinese students and 2 per cent for US students were linked to family members. The proportion was much higher for Nepal at 74 per cent, Bangladesh at 58 per cent, and India at 23 per cent.

 

A separate survey by the Ministry for Higher Education and Research under minister Christina Egelund reviewed international student performance across all eight Danish universities. It found that at Aarhus University, where Bangladeshi students make up the largest foreign cohort, one-third “do not appear study-oriented” but are instead motivated by staying in Denmark.

 

Aalborg University and Copenhagen Business School reported receiving applications through agents, including recruitment offers from Nepal and Bangladesh. The Technical University of Denmark noted that some agents advertised Denmark as offering easier residence permits compared with other EU countries.

 

Dropout and exam performance

 

The survey also revealed that Bangladeshi students at Aarhus University had a first-year dropout rate of 13 per cent in 2023 and 2024, compared with 4 per cent for other international students. Between 14 per cent and 25 per cent of Bangladeshi students who registered for exams did not appear, compared with 5 per cent to 6 per cent of other internationals. Their exam pass rate stood at 55 per cent to 65 per cent, against an average of around 90 per cent for others.

 

Universities attributed the struggles to challenges with exams and group work, with some students described as punctual yet unable to keep up with the pace of teaching.

 

Ministry’s defence

 

Christina Egelund said the survey shaped the government’s response. “Through our study programs, we bring talented international students to the country every year, which is a great gain – we must not waste that. That is why we take targeted and effective action to prevent cheating,” she said.

 

“Our initiatives are based on a solid foundation of knowledge, and we intervene where it makes a difference – without closing the door to all talented students who want to complete an education in the country,” she added.