Residence and Work Permit

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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What type of worker, employment situation, occupation or professional activity is this pathway actually designed for?

This route is for a person offered employment in Greenland, including voluntary or unpaid work; the residence and work permit is applied for at SIRI and processed on the basis of an approval from the Government of Greenland.

See recorded sources

https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/The-Faroe-Islands-and-Greenland/Arbejde-i-Gr%C3%B8nland
You have been offered employment in Greenland and want to apply for a residence and work permit.
https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/The-Faroe-Islands-and-Greenland/Arbejde-i-Gr%C3%B8nland
If you wish to work in Greenland, you must apply for a residence and work permit at the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI), which will process the application based on an approval from the Government of Greenland.
https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/The-Faroe-Islands-and-Greenland/Arbejde-i-Gr%C3%B8nland
Please note that you must also apply for a residence and work permit if you take voluntary or unpaid work.

Does the applicant need a job offer, employer, sponsor, transfer relationship or other employer involvement? What is important about that employer relationship?

A job offer or contract is needed, as a rule with a company registered in Greenland (exceptions e.g. foreign companies providing services in Greenland); the employer must as a rule hold a municipal permit to employ foreign labour; the contract or offer must state all terms, and SIRI forwards the application to the Government of Greenland to assess salary and terms.

See recorded sources

https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/The-Faroe-Islands-and-Greenland/Arbejde-i-Gr%C3%B8nland
As a rule, your employer must have a municipal permit that allows them to employ foreign labour for the job in question in order for you to work in Greenland.
https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/The-Faroe-Islands-and-Greenland/Arbejde-i-Gr%C3%B8nland
When you apply, you must attach a copy of your employment contract or job offer. All terms of employment must be stated in the contract or the job offer. When SIRI has received your application for a residence and work permit, we will forward the application to the Government of Greenland, which will assess whether your salary and terms of employment correspond to Greenlandic standards.
https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/The-Faroe-Islands-and-Greenland/Arbejde-i-Gr%C3%B8nland
As a general rule, you must have an employment agreement with a company registered in Greenland to be able to apply. However, there are certain exceptions, e.g. if you work for a foreign company that provides services in Greenland.

What are the few decisive professional characteristics of the pathway: occupation, qualifications, experience, salary, skill level, shortage status, labour-market condition or equivalent?

Salary and terms of employment must match Greenlandic standards for the field, and employment must normally be full-time (40 hours per week).

See recorded sources

Limits of the record

The captured official page does not state every possible edge case for this question; independent review remains pending.

official SIRI/nyidanmark.dk page captured text
Your salary and terms of employment must correspond to Greenlandic standards. This means that your salary, holiday entitlements, terms of notice etc. must not be inferior to the standards within the professional field in which you are going to work. As a rule, your employment must be full-time, which normally means 40 hours work per week.
official SIRI/nyidanmark.dk page captured text
In Greenland, you are obligated to save for your own pension. The requirement applies to people over the age of 18 who are fully taxable in Greenland.

What work does the permission allow? Is the holder tied to an employer, occupation or sector? Can family accompany where clearly established?

The holder cannot start work before the permit is granted and may only work in the job and company stated on it; a new job or position, even in the same company, requires a new permit, and sideline employment requires a special permit. Family (spouse, cohabiting partner, registered partner, child under 18 living at home) may accompany.

See recorded sources

https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/The-Faroe-Islands-and-Greenland/Arbejde-i-Gr%C3%B8nland
You are not allowed to start working, until you have been granted a permit to do so. You are only allowed to work in the job and in the company that you have been granted a permit to work in. If you are offered a new job or a new position, you must apply for a new permit before you can start the new job. This also applies if you are offered a new position within the same company. If you wish to get a sideline employement in Greenland, you must apply for a special permit for this.
https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/The-Faroe-Islands-and-Greenland/Arbejde-i-Gr%C3%B8nland
You can bring your family with you to Greenland, if you have been granted a residence and work permit in Greenland. Accompanying family can be: A spouse A cohabiting partner A registered partner A child under the age of 18 living at home

How long is the permission normally granted for, how is it renewed, and what longer-term residence direction exists if officially stated?

The permit can be granted for up to 2 years from the decision; if the job needs a municipal permit, it runs only until the municipal permit expires, otherwise usually for the length of the employment up to 2 years; continuing work requires an extension applied for before expiry. The official source does not state a longer-term residence direction.

See recorded sources

Limits of the record

The work page does not state a longer-term residence direction; permanent residence is described only on the separate permanent-residence page.

https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/The-Faroe-Islands-and-Greenland/Arbejde-i-Gr%C3%B8nland
A residence permit in Greenland can be granted with a validity of up to 2 years from the date a decision is made in your case.
https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/The-Faroe-Islands-and-Greenland/Arbejde-i-Gr%C3%B8nland
If your position requires a permit to employ foreign labour (municipal permit), the residence and work permit can only be granted until the municipal permit expires. This means that your residence permit will usually have the same duration as the municipal permit. If your position does not require a permit to employ foreign labour, the residence and work permit will usually have the same duration as your employment, but for a maximum of 2 years. If you want to continue to work in Greenland beyond this period, you must apply for an extension of your residence and work permit.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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Residence and Work Permit

What type of worker, employment situation, occupation or professional activity is this pathway actually designed for?

Does the applicant need a job offer, employer, sponsor, transfer relationship or other employer involvement? What is important about that employer relationship?

What are the few decisive professional characteristics of the pathway: occupation, qualifications, experience, salary, skill level, shortage status, labour-market condition or equivalent?

What work does the permission allow? Is the holder tied to an employer, occupation or sector? Can family accompany where clearly established?

How long is the permission normally granted for, how is it renewed, and what longer-term residence direction exists if officially stated?

Your story.Your next step.

Your story.
Your next step.