Kingdom of Denmark vs Japan
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Kingdom of Denmark and Japan government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- New to Denmark — Official immigration portal
SIRI / Ministry of Immigration and Integration - verified
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan
Immigration Services Agency (ISA) - verified
- New to Denmark — Pay Limit Scheme
SIRI (Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration) - verified
- ISA — Points-based system for Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals
Immigration Services Agency (ISA) - verified
Kingdom of Denmark
Denmark's immigration is administered by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) under the Ministry of Immigration and Integration. Key skilled-migration schemes include the Pay Limit Scheme (salary threshold), Positive List (shortage occupations), Fast-Track Scheme (certified employers), and Start-Up Denmark for entrepreneurs. Permanent residence requires 8 years of legal residence (reducible to 4 with full-time employment and Danish language).
- Official portal
- SIRI / Ministry of Immigration and Integration
- Languages
- Danish
- Currency
- Danish krone
Japan
Japan's immigration is administered by the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) under the Ministry of Justice. The system uses 29 residence-status categories. Key routes include the Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) visa with fast-track PR, Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) Types 1 and 2 for designated industries, Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services for knowledge workers, and Business Manager for entrepreneurs. Major reforms in 2023–24 expanded the SSW system significantly.
- Official portal
- Immigration Services Agency (ISA)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Currency
- Japanese yen
How Kingdom of Denmark and Japan differ
| Dimension | Kingdom of Denmark | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 5 | 5 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 1 | 1 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 4 | 3 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Pay Limit Scheme -> permanent residence after 8 years, or 4 years for strongest cases -> citizenship after meeting naturalisation conditions. | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | Pay Limit Scheme (Beloebsordningen) | Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) Visa |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | DKK 552,000/year | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | SIRI lists normal Pay Limit Scheme processing at 1 month, with up to 3 months where additional information is needed. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | Denmark lists a DKK 6,810 fee for the Pay Limit Scheme work-permit application and DKK 3,080 per accompanying family member to an employee. | — |
| Official languages | Danish | Japanese |
| Currency | Danish krone | Japanese yen |
| Primary regulator | Advokatsamfundet | JFBA |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Kingdom of Denmark
Pay Limit Scheme (Beloebsordningen)
- Salary minimum
- DKK 552,000/year
- Government fees
- Denmark lists a DKK 6,810 fee for the Pay Limit Scheme work-permit application and DKK 3,080 per accompanying family member to an employee.
- Processing time
- SIRI lists normal Pay Limit Scheme processing at 1 month, with up to 3 months where additional information is needed.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Japan
Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) Visa
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Routes unique to Kingdom of Denmark
Visa routes side by side
Kingdom of Denmark (5)
Pay Limit Scheme (Beloebsordningen)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 4 years; renewable if employment continues.
Positive List Scheme (Positivlisten)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 4 years; renewable.
Fast-Track Scheme (Fast-Track-ordningen)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 4 years.
Student Residence Permit
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Duration of studies; renewable annually.
Family Reunification (Familiesammenfoering)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Tied to the sponsor's residence status. Leads to permanent residence on the same conditions as work-permit holders.
Japan (5)
Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) Visa
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 5 years; with fast-track PR after 1–3 years.
Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 1 or 3 years (5 years for renewals); renewable.
Specified Skilled Worker Type 1 (SSW-1 / 特定技能1号)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 5 years total (not renewable beyond 5 years — must transition to SSW-2 or another status).
Business Manager Visa (経営・管理)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 1 year initially; renewable for 1, 3, or 5 years.
Student Visa (留学)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Individual period of stay set by the Minister of Justice, not exceeding 4 years 3 months; renew/change status as circumstances require.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Kingdom of Denmark or Japan?+
Kingdom of Denmark’s Pay Limit Scheme (Beloebsordningen) requires a salary of at least DKK 552,000/year; Japan’s Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) Visa is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Kingdom of Denmark vs Japan immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/denmark/vs/japan. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons