Denmark: Marriages continue despite 24 year rule

Denmark: Marriages continue despite 24 year rule


About a week ago I reported that more and more immigrants in Denmark postpone marriage, apparently due to the 24 year rule.  However, according to municipality level workers, the change is only the statistics.  The young immigrants continue to get married but simply don't register in Denmark.   Again, the law is having an effect, though not the expected effect, and it would be up to future study to see how this new style of life is affecting those immigrants and future incoming immigration. 

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Meanwhile, in the Netherlands (NL), the number of import-brides is on the increase.  After several years of a rapid decrease, the number of import brides in 2008 was 15,330, an increase of 32% compared with 2007.  This include in particular more Afghan, Iraqi and Somali partners, as well as continued marriage immigration of Turks and Moroccans.

Between 2005 and 2007 the number of family reunifications in the Netherlands dropped from 15,210 to 11,620.


See also: Netherlands: Continuing marriage-immigration 'unbearable burden'


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Young immigrants under 24 still marry youth from their homeland, though the 24 year rule should have prevented it, according to Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten.

Official statistics show that the number of marriages among 18-23 year old immigrants fell drastically since the government introduced the rule in 2002.

But according to nurses in several municipalities, many young women in particular still marry in a traditional way in their homeland, without registering in Denmark.

The nurses say that the women's spouse stays in the family's original homeland.  He only comes on visits using a three month tourist visa twice a year.

Ishøj's head nurse, Anne-Dorthe Roland, says that they call the children 'commuting children', since they don't belong to any place and move back and forth between Denmark and the Middle East.  Many of these children end up living in Denmark, but they have a disadvantage from the beginning since they don't have ties to a kindergarten.

She adds that the link requirement [ie, the spouse is required to show he has strong ties to Denmark] also splits families.  In Odense health consultant Sisi Buch says that in socially week families in particularity, youth get around the 24 year rule and get married.

Source: DR (Danish)

See also: Denmark: Immigrant marriage-age increases

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