Case processing time
It is difficult to say exactly how long the consideration of the case will take. The time depends on a combination of the number of pending cases in the system and the individual aspects of the case at hand. Manifest Permission cases and Manifestly Unfounded cases are often determined within 2-4 months but if the case is in Normal procedure and needs to be appealed the total waiting time can be up to a year or even two. Normally, completion of the asylum form filling is done within the first week and and the first interview is carried out within the first month, but thereafter it can take several months before the second interview.
If you get rejected by Immigration Service, which the majority of asylum seekers do for the time being, it will take around 10 more months before the case will be finally ruled on by the Refugee Appeals Board. The lawyer will usually call you in around one months before the board meeting.
The amount of time in Dublin cases also varies between one month to one year, depending on the other country’s answer to Denmark’s inquiry, and sometimes the case will be put on hold while a similar case is pending at the European Court of Human Rights.
In 2016, the average time of stay in the Danish asylum system was around 550 days, covering a span from one month to 18 years. When you hear about people who have been waiting for many years in asylum centers (up to 20 years), these person’s asylum cases have been ruled on but the person cannot be deported due to various circumstances.
The waiting time for humanitarian residence permit applications is often a year or more, reopening applications to the Refugee Appeals Board also take one year and international appeal cases can take several years. In some of the cases mentioned, the asylum seeker has a right to remain in Denmark while the case is being processed ("opsættende virkning"), but not always.
Family reunification cases for refugees currently take 10-12 months. Read more about the service goals of Immigration Service (asylum cases not included).
