Kingdom of Denmark vs Republic of Kenya
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 Republic of Kenya 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
- Directorate of Immigration Services (DIS)
Directorate of Immigration Services (Kenya) - verified
- New to Denmark — Pay Limit Scheme
SIRI (Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration) - verified
- Class D (Employment) - Directorate of Immigration Services
Directorate of Immigration Services (Kenya) - 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
Republic of Kenya
Kenya's Directorate of Immigration Services (DIS) administers entry, residence and work authorisation under the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, 2011. Foreign nationals work mainly under lettered work-permit classes — most commonly Class D (employment by a specific employer), Class G (trade, business or consultancy) and Class K (ordinary residents with an assured external income) — while short-term and dependent stays use the Special, Dependant's and Student's passes. Applications are filed online through the eFNS portal.
- Official portal
- Directorate of Immigration Services (Kenya)
- Languages
- English, Swahili
- Currency
- Kenyan shilling
How Kingdom of Denmark and Republic of Kenya differ
| Dimension | Kingdom of Denmark | Republic of Kenya |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 5 | 8 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 1 | 5 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 4 | 5 |
| 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) | Class D Work Permit (Employment) |
| 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 | English, Swahili |
| Currency | Danish krone | Kenyan shilling |
| Primary regulator | Advokatsamfundet | LSK |
| 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
Republic of Kenya
Class D Work Permit (Employment)
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
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.
Republic of Kenya (8)
Class D Work Permit (Employment)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Issued and renewable in line with the employment; counts toward the residence record for permanent residence.
Class G Work Permit (Trade, Business or Consultancy)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Issued and renewable in line with the business; counts toward the residence record for permanent residence.
Class K Permit (Ordinary Residents)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Issued and renewable subject to continued assured income; counts toward the residence record for permanent residence.
Class A Work Permit (Prospecting and Mining)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Issued and renewable in line with the licensed activity; counts toward the residence record for permanent residence.
Special Pass
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 6 months maximum; not a settlement route.
Dependant's Pass
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Aligned to the sponsor status; renewable while the relationship and sponsor status continue.
Student's Pass
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Aligned to the course of study; renewable while enrolled.
Permanent Residence
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent on grant, subject to the conditions of the Act.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Kingdom of Denmark or Republic of Kenya?+
Kingdom of Denmark’s Pay Limit Scheme (Beloebsordningen) requires a salary of at least DKK 552,000/year; Republic of Kenya’s Class D Work Permit (Employment) is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Kingdom of Denmark or Republic of Kenya have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Republic of Kenya has more: 5 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 1 for Kingdom of Denmark. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
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 Republic of Kenya immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/denmark/vs/kenya. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons