The Application

When he arrived as an Iraqi asylum seeker in Denmark a year ago, Mohammed Al-bayati believed he had a good chance of settling down. His brother had been accepted as a refugee here five years earlier, and Iraq was the kind of awful dictatorship that virtually guaranteed acceptance of his application. Since then, however, the Danish government has adopted a sweeping reform of its refugee rules that is likely to make Al-bayati’s future in the country far less certain.

An unmarried physician, Al-bayati has yet to receive a decision on his application — a considerably longer wait than the six to seven months refugees faced in the past. “The decision on my application is now several months overdue,” Al-bayati says. “When I call them they say that my case is under consideration right at the moment, but they give exactly the same answer to my friends.” If he is granted a residence permit, Al-bayati will face a much tougher start in Denmark than his brother did. For one, it will take seven years instead of the current three to get permanent residency and earn the right to obtain full Danish social benefits. In the meantime, until he finds a job, he will be given $270 per month — about 35% less than refugees currently receive — to cover food and clothing expenses. His housing costs will continue to be paid for by the local council. If he wants to get married, it will be difficult to bring his wife to Denmark from overseas. Worst of all, the Danish government has decided that Iraq is a country where it is safe for asylum seekers to return, meaning he could be sent back anytime in the next seven years. “Iraqis seeking asylum in other countries are considered renegades by the Iraqi regime, in the same sense as Muslims who abandon their religion,” he says. “And they are punished in the same way, usually by death.” The new rules take effect July 1, but Al-bayati, 31, is lucky in one respect — the Danish government has ruled that asylum seekers who arrived in the country before the new laws come into force will be treated under the old rules, which makes acceptance much more likely.

Denmark’s refugee and immigration reforms were adopted by a center-right coalition government elected last autumn and enthusiastically backed by the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party. The reforms have been sharply criticized in the E.U., particularly by neighboring countries. It’s easy to see why. Even before the laws take effect, the number of new asylum seekers has fallen dramatically in Denmark and risen just as sharply in Norway and Sweden. In Denmark, the number has fallen from around 3,000 in the first quarter of 2001 to about 1,900 in the first quarter of this year. In Norway, the number has risen from around 1,500 to 4,300 during the same periods; and in Sweden, the comparable figures are around 4,300 and 7,200. With Denmark taking over the E.U. presidency on July 1, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has suggested that his country’s tough new laws could serve as the model for E.U.-wide legislation. Al-bayati is awaiting the decision on his future at a remote asylum center south of Copenhagen. Asylum seekers are not allowed to work while their application is pending, so Al-bayati is studying up on his possible new home. “I immediately started to learn Danish and read about Danish society to prepare myself for integration,” he says. “There is nothing to do at the camp, so if you don’t find anything meaningful to occupy yourself you get sick from boredom.” He’s joined a group of other asylum seekers that visits schools and other institutions to give talks to Danes about the situation of asylum seekers and refugees in Denmark. Al-bayati also meets with a group of asylum-seeking doctors to discuss professional questions such as how the Danish health system works and to keep up their medical knowledge. One thing Al-bayati can look forward to should he win acceptance as a refugee is a job; Danish hospitals currently have at least 600 vacancies for physicians. “Iraqi doctors have good qualifications,” Al-bayati says. “We can easily pass the exams, and I hope to begin to work as soon as I am allowed to get a real job.” While Al-bayati may eventually win a residence permit, it’s clear that Denmark is becoming a far less welcoming place for asylum seekers.