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Denmark rolls out detailed measures to tighten asylum rules

Xinhua, November 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

Denmark rolled out on Friday a series of measures to deter the coming of refugees and make the country less attractive to asylum seekers.

The Danish government will now allow authorities to house refugees in tents, shorten refugees' residence permits and extend the waiting time for refugees to obtain family reunification, Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen announced at a press conference jointly attended by Immigration, Integration and Housing Minister Inger Stoejberg and Justice Minister Soeren Pind.

According to the package of 34 initiatives, the Danish government will set up tent camps to house some of the 13,000 asylum seekers that currently spread across 33 different municipalities.

Rasmussen also unveiled plans to shorten the length of residence permits given to refugees from five years to two to three years.

The government will also extend the waiting time for refugees to bring their families to Denmark to three years from the previous one-year time under the former government's family reunification scheme.

Integration minister Stoejberg said the further tightening of Denmark's asylum policies are designed to make the country a less desirable destination.

"Denmark should not be a magnet for asylum seekers," she said.

In October, some 3,500 refugees and migrants applied for asylum in Denmark, an all-time record for a single month, according to the Ministry of Immigration, Integration and Housing.

Denmark has previously taken a series of measures to deter the influx of refugees, including issuing temporary residence permits, delaying family reunifications and cutting benefits for asylum seekers.

In September, it also placed adverts on Lebanese newspapers to discourage migrants from coming to Denmark. Endit