Denmark: Danish language learning and new language website

Denmark's Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) launched a new website describing the various Danish language courses and tests required for foreigners in Denmark, available in Danish only.

Learning the Danish language has become an increasingly fundamental part of Denmark's integration policy, and is also one of the most important criteria examined in the residence application process. For instance, those who followed a reunification process to join a spouse in Denmark must pass the basic Danish language test within 6 months after arrival, or risk losing their residence permit.

Researchers have found that the Danish language is likely the hardest language in the world to learn: there is a huge difference between speaking and writing in Danish, and its pronunciation has many tiny variations. Despite this, there is no doubt that learning Danish – at least to a certain level – is a prerequisite to becoming an active member of Danish society, as well as for being self-sufficient and independent.

Even though most Danes speak English, Danish is still the country's main language in the work, education and social spheres. Huge efforts are being put into teaching Danish to foreigners, and all Danish language training is offered free of charge for up to 5 years. It is a mandatory part of the national refugee integration programme, often combined systematically with job training.

The website of the Danish Immigration Service is available in both Danish and English, although basic information for newcomers is not translated into common languages such as Arabic or Turkish. When the special act on Ukrainians was passed in 2021, useful information was made available in Ukrainian for the first time.