As a result, asylum seekers can only get temporary residence permits for one to two years. Residency is subject to regular review, and can be revoked once a refugee's home country is deemed safe. Refugees are usually eligible for permanent status after eight years, and in order to get it they must speak fluent Danish and are required to have had a job for several years.
Before 2015, refugees in Denmark were initially allowed to stay for between five and seven years, after which their residence permits would automatically become permanent. But 10 years ago, when more than a million people arrived in Europe fleeing conflict and repression, largely from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Eritrea, the Danish government dramatically changed the rules.