To the Ministry of Immigration and Refugees: A proposal regarding naturalization
Article written by Salah Hussein Hassan
Regarding the third paragraph of the Danish naturalization law, the Danish government and parliament stated the following:
3 - Obtaining Danish citizenship through naturalization
Naturalization occurs when an individual acquires citizenship with the approval of the granting authority after fulfilling the legal requirements, which are:
One must have permanent residency status in the Kingdom of Denmark in order to become a citizen.
Nine years of continuous residence are required, with a limited allowance for intermittent stays of up to one or two years in special circumstances (education, family illness). Continuous residence is not explicitly defined, but periods of absence from the Kingdom of Denmark exceeding four consecutive weeks must be noted.
People must have resided continuously for 8 years if they are stateless or have refugee status.
Each year of marriage to a Danish citizen reduces this requirement by one year, up to a maximum of three years. Therefore, a minimum of six years of continuous, uninterrupted residence is required for those married to Danish citizens for three years.
There is a special, albeit rarely mentioned, clause that allows for absence from the Kingdom of Denmark for more than one or two years if the person is married to a Danish citizen. The total continuous residence must be at least three years, or either: the marriage must have lasted at least two years, or the total residence in the Kingdom of Denmark must be less than ten years (including the marriage period and the first year the applicant and their Danish spouse lived together before the marriage). The person must also hold a valid permanent residence permit.
If a person is married to a Danish citizen who is working “for Danish interests” in a foreign country, then this period of absence from the Kingdom of Denmark can be considered as a period of residence in the Kingdom of Denmark.
If the person is convicted of a crime
Immigrants who commit crimes may be denied Danish citizenship. For example, immigrants sentenced to one year or more in prison, or at least three months, for crimes against another person are ineligible for citizenship. Convictions resulting in fines also carry a time limit for immigrants, with citizenship applications being rejected for up to 4.5 years after the fine is paid. In several cases, this period has been extended to three years.
I'm saying this because every country has its own naturalization laws, but I've noticed that some countries have particularly strict laws. Denmark is one such country. We see that some people will not be granted citizenship for the reasons mentioned earlier. This raises the question: if someone is Danish and has the same reasons mentioned, will their Danish citizenship be revoked? Of course not.
Therefore, I observed that these decisions were unfair. I also suggested to the Danish government a solution that I believe is appropriate: granting citizenship to those with traffic violations, minor infractions, or other shortcomings—excluding those accused of serious crimes such as murder or drug trafficking—in exchange for a sum of money, for example, 5,000 kroner or more depending on the type of violation, instead of denying them citizenship altogether. I emphasize that citizenship should not be granted to anyone who attempts to destabilize the country's security or negatively impacts its economy.
