Denmark - Study - Intern Permit
You can be granted a residence and work permit if you wish to work in Denmark as an intern for a limited period of time. The work must be part of an educational programme which you have begun or completed in your country of origin.
Conditions
In order to be granted a residence and work permit as an intern, you must meet the following conditions:
You must be between the ages of 18 and 34 at the time of application (both years included).
The internship must have as its objective to supplement an educational programme which you have begun or completed in your country of origin. You must include in your application an authorised translation of documentation of your on-going or finished education, including a list of the courses you have taken. Please note, if you have already completed a degree in architecture you cannot use an internship as grounds for applying for a residency permit. (See the section entitled âSpecial requirements for architecture internsâ below).
The internship must have a natural relation to your on-going or completed education in your country of origin.
The place of internship must be able to provide adequate and relevant training. You must include a copy of a current approval of the place of internship with your application (This does not apply for architecture interns or interns working at a hospital in Denmark).The number of residence and work permits issued cannot exceed the total number of interns which the place of internship is approved to host. If the number of interns is not specified on the approval, the place of internship will be permitted to host a maximum of two interns.
Salary and employment conditions must correspond to Danish standards for interns (Please refer to âSpecial requirements for architecture internsâ below).
Your application must include a description of your responsibilities and the objectives of your internship. This does not apply to interns in the agricultural, forestry, or horticultural fields.
Your application must also include a description of how the internship will supplement the educational programme which you have begun or completed in your country of origin. This does not apply to interns in the agricultural, forestry, or horticultural fields.
Especially on salary and employment conditions for agricultural interns
Agricultural, forestry and horticultural interns can find further information on current agreements on salary and employment on the website Jordbrugets Uddannelser (in Danish only).
Special condition for healthcare interns
In addition to the general conditions, interns in the healthcare sector must also meet some additional conditions:
Your education must be approved by the Danish National Board of Health, and you must attach documentation for this approval.
The supervising physician must submit a written statement attesting to your capabilities, and accepting responsibility for your supervision and for the work you carry out during your internship.
If your intership is unpaid, you must document that you can support yourself during your stay. This means that you must have at your disposal the equivalent of DKK 5,384 per month. Documentation can be a bank statement in your name or documentation for student grant or scholarship.
All Danish public hospitals are approved to host interns.
Special requirements for architecture interns
In addition to the above-mentioned general requirements, architecture interns must meet the following additional requirements:
The Danish Association of Architectural Firms (Danske Ark) and The Union of Salaried Architects (Arkitektforbundet) have created a standard contract titled âInternship Agreement and Guidelineâ that is to be used when hiring foreign architecture interns. The contract can be found on-line at Danish Association of Architectural Firms website and at The Union of Salaried Architects website
Residency permits are issued only to interns who have not completed a degree in their home country. If you have completed an architecture degree, you cannot use an internship as grounds for applying for a residency permit.
If you are a paid intern, you must be paid the equivalent of the current Danish state education grant (SU) rate at the time of hiring. The 2010 rate is 5,384 kroner per month.
If you are an unpaid intern, you must document that you possess financial resources equivalent to the current Danish state education grant (SU) rate at the time of hiring. The 2010 rate is 5,384 kroner per month. Valid documentation includes: bank statements indentifying you by full name as an account holder, a letter from a bank indentifying you by full name as an account holder or documentation of scholarships received.
Architecture firms do not need to seek approval when hiring interns, but the âInternship Agreement and Guidelinesâ require the firm to state the number of trained architects, interns and students working for it.
Duration
You may be granted a residence and work permit for up to 18 months, but no longer than the duration of your internship contract. Normally, your permit cannot be extended beyond this period. However, it can be extended up to 24 months in total if the internship contract includes a full-time study programme comprising a minimum of six months and a maximum of eight months.
If you apply for an extension, you may continue to work as an intern while the Immigration Service is processing your application, provided that you are at the same place of internship and that the conditions for your stay remain unchanged.
If you wish to begin at a new place of internship, you may not do so before you have been granted a new residence and work permit.