Finding a base: Newly arrived immigrants' access to employment, healthcare and housing in Denmark, in law and in practice

Integration of immigrants has become an increasingly prominent issue on the political agenda in Denmark and across Europe. In recent years, scholarly attention on immigrants’ access to employment, healthcare and housing has increased. However, only limited research quantitatively examines what barriers immigrants themselves experience and how legislation is shaping experiences. 

This dissertation takes a socio-legal approach to investigate how newly arrived immigrants’ formal de jure access to employment, healthcare and housing under Danish law translates into de facto experienced access. The project has three overall objectives: 1) To assess the extent of access barriers experienced by immigrants; 2) to analyse how these barriers vary according to residence permit types; and 3) to explore how legislation appears to impact experienced access.

The project combines legal inquiry with analysis of extensive empirical data from the BASE survey, implemented in 2021 among more than 1,700 newly arrived immigrants in 26 Danish language schools. This analysis is complemented by insights from qualitative interviews with seven immigrants. The dissertation consists of four articles addressing access to employment (Article 1), healthcare (Articles 2 and 3) and housing (Article 4) as well as an overarching summary framework.

Findings show that close to half of immigrants seeking employment or housing experience overall access difficulties, while one in five report difficulties in accessing healthcare. Common barriers at the individual level include lack of language skills, network and knowledge, alongside financial barriers for healthcare and housing. Structural-level barriers including discrimination are also frequently reported, especially in employment.

Significant variation in experienced access emerges across residence permit types. Refugees report the greatest difficulties, while family reunified immigrants face notable employment barriers, but fare better in healthcare and housing. Non-EU/EEA labour migrants and students primarily report housing challenges, whereas EU/EEA immigrants tend to experience fewer barriers overall.

The legal analysis demonstrates that immigrants’ formal access largely depends on type of residence permit. This can help explain differences in experienced access, including the lower levels of difficulties reported by EU/EEA immigrants, which appear to be linked to the principle of non-discrimination under EU law. 

Based on the findings, the study highlights several areas where future policy measures may support integration more effectively, in line with the aims of the Danish Integration Act.

Indvandreres integration er et stadig mere fremtrædende emne på den politiske dagsorden i Danmark og resten af Europa. I de senere år er den akademiske interesse for indvandreres adgang til beskæftigelse, sundhedsydelser og bolig vokset. Der er dog kun begrænset kvantitativ forskning i, hvilke barrierer indvandrere selv oplever, og hvordan lovgivningen former disse oplevelser.

Afhandlingen anvender en retssociologisk tilgang til at undersøge, hvordan nyankomne indvandreres formelle adgang til beskæftigelse, sundhedsydelser og bolig efter dansk ret i praksis former oplevet adgang. Projektet har tre overordnede mål: 1) At vurdere omfanget af oplevede adgangsbarrierer blandt indvandrere, 2) at analysere, hvordan disse barrierer varierer afhængigt af opholdstilladelse, og 3) at undersøge, hvordan lovgivningen potentielt påvirker oplevet adgang.

Projektet kombinerer undersøgelser af lovgivningen med analyse af omfattende empirisk datamateriale fra BASE-surveyen, indsamlet i 2021 blandt over 1.700 nyankomne indvandrere på 26 danske sprogskoler. Analysen suppleres af indsigter fra kvalitative interviews med syv indvandrere. Afhandlingen består af fire artikler om adgang til beskæftigelse (Artikel 1), sundhedsydelser (Artikel 2 og 3) og bolig (Artikel 4) samt en kappe.

Resultaterne viser, at næsten halvdelen af de indvandrere, der søger beskæftigelse eller bolig, oplever generelle adgangsproblemer, mens én ud af fem rapporterer problemer med adgang til sundhedsydelser. Hyppige individuelle barrierer er mangel på sprogkundskaber, netværk og viden samt, i forhold til sundhedsydelser og bolig, økonomiske begrænsninger. Derudover rapporteres strukturelle barrierer, herunder diskrimination, ofte, især på beskæftigelsesområdet. 

Der ses betydelige forskelle i oplevet adgang på tværs af opholdstilladelser. Flygtninge rapporterer de største problemer, mens familiesammenførte oplever mange barrierer på arbejdsmarkedet, men få i forhold til sundhed og bolig. Arbejdsindvandrere og studerende fra lande uden for EU/EØS oplever især udfordringer med bolig, mens EU/EØS-indvandrere generelt rapporterer færre barrierer.

Analysen af lovgivningen viser, at indvandreres formelle adgang i høj grad afhænger af opholdstilladelse. Dette kan forklare forskelle i oplevet adgang, herunder færre rapporterede vanskeligheder blandt EU/EØS-indvandrere, hvilket synes at hænge sammen med EU’s forbud mod forskelsbehandling af unionsborgere.

På baggrund af fundene peger studiet på områder, hvor politiske tiltag potentielt vil kunne understøtte integration mere effektivt, i overensstemmelse med integrationslovens formål.