Our vision
Every Danish-international couple should be able to live together in Denmark in dignified conditions.
We support and advise Danish-international couples on their rights and their options for living in Denmark with their family. We inform the Danish public and the politicians at Christiansborg about how the family reunification law prevents perfectly ordinary Danes from living a secure family life on the same terms as other Danish families. Finally, we urge politicians to remove the unreasonable requirements placed on Danish-international families.
Ægteskab Uden Grænser (ÆUG) is made up of dedicated volunteers and skilled enthusiasts. Our foundation is professional expertise and more than 20 years of experience, but above all our inspiration comes from the belief that love can break down prejudice and change laws.
Our dream is to become unnecessary
Denmark is a wonderful country with a strong social safety net and good opportunities for a secure family life. The vast majority of us want to live here with our families. For most Danes that is possible, while others have to fight a hard battle.
Denmark also recognises the value of international experience. Every year, thousands of Danes go abroad to work and study, and new relationships blossom. It is so common that one in eight Danes marries someone from abroad.
We are free to choose who we marry. But the requirements for Danish-international couples who want to live in Denmark make it almost impossible to live with the spouse they have chosen. The rules are tightened and changed so often that ordinary Danes, politicians and even seasoned lawyers struggle to find their way through the provisions.
Did you know that being married to, and having children with, a Danish citizen does not give access to a permanent residence permit? And as long as you only have a temporary residence permit, you can be forced to leave Denmark and your family if you no longer meet the requirements for housing, income and Danish language tests.
The law has consequences for individuals
Newly married couples are forced to use all their savings or take out loans to provide financial collateral and pay high application fees, simply for the right to live together. Thousands of Danes say goodbye to family, friends and jobs and move to other countries, either because they cannot meet the requirements or because they do not dare to put their shared future in the hands of legislation that is constantly changing.
ÆUG's own surveys show that the constant tightening of the rules is a direct cause of stress and depression being twice as common among people who have come through family reunification as in the rest of the population. Families who meet the requirements today may not meet them tomorrow, and in the worst case this can lead to expulsion.
- 9 out of 10 Danes reunified with their family under the EU rules have felt discriminated against and badly treated by the governments in office.
- 4 out of 5 Danes reunified with their family under the EU rules have at one or more points felt so stressed that it affected their everyday life.
- 78% of Danes reunified with their family under the Danish rules feel that the process has changed their view of Denmark as a state governed by the rule of law. 64% have changed their view of Denmark as a democracy.
Our aims
- To secure Danish citizens' right to choose their spouse freely and to live together in Denmark, regardless of the spouse's nationality, age, religion, education and work experience.
- To secure proper and humane treatment during the process of applying for a visa, a residence permit and Danish citizenship for the foreign spouse and their children.
- To secure a safe and stable framework for Danish-international married couples' life in Denmark and the highest possible degree of equal treatment.
- To help build respect for Danish-international married couples.
What we work for
- To highlight the problems and injustices that the Aliens Act causes Danish-foreign families.
- To give members qualified information, advice and support when applying for a visa and a residence permit, and during any appeal.
- To create a positive attitude among the public towards the contribution foreigners make to Denmark, so that there is broad public support for reasonable legislation.
- That a permanent residence permit can be obtained after a certain number of years in Denmark without requirements for full-time employment, active citizenship or anything else that can prevent Danish-foreign families from gaining the security that permanent residence provides.
- That Danish-foreign families can live in Denmark without financial discrimination, for example qualifying-period rules for child benefit or healthcare, unreasonably high application fees, or a ban on receiving the social benefits they also pay for through their taxes.
- That foreigners living in Denmark can obtain Danish citizenship after a certain number of years on reasonable and achievable terms.
- To achieve integration legislation that ensures proper treatment by the municipalities, good language teaching and recognition of foreign qualifications.