Denmark’s May 2025 crackdown on work rights for students at non-state approved schools has slashed applications from Nepal and Bangladesh by over 1,000 compared to the same period last year, new government figures show.
The numbers are stark. From January through April 2025, Denmark received 578 applications for study permits at non-state approved higher education institutions from citizens of Nepal and Bangladesh. After the May 2 restrictions took effect, just 89 applications came in from those two countries through September. That’s a drop of 1,074 compared to the same five month period in 2024, according to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration.
The Danish government clearly got what it wanted. “The government’s restrictions are working,” Integration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said. “The numbers speak their own clear language: The number of applications has plummeted after we closed the back door to the labor market.”
The Back Door Slams Shut
The rule change was blunt. From May 2 onward, students from non-EU countries applying to non-state approved schools lost the right to work part time during their studies. They also lost access to a six month job search period after graduation. And they can no longer bring family members with them.
The restrictions were triggered by Copenhagen Police, who reported widespread violations of work permit conditions among foreign students. Most violations were committed by citizens of Nepal and Bangladesh, the police said. The government saw it as proof that study permits had become a migration loophole rather than an education pathway.
I’ve watched Denmark’s immigration debate harden over the years. This move fits a familiar pattern: identify a weakness in the system, seal it quickly, move on. But the speed of the collapse in applications suggests the work permit was the main draw, not the education itself.
What Changed on the Ground
Take Niels Brock, a Copenhagen business college. From May through September 2024, it received 716 applications from Nepali and Bangladeshi students. In the same months this year, just 24 applications came in, according to union magazine Fagbladet 3F. That’s a 97 percent drop.
These aren’t abstract policy shifts. They’re institutional earthquakes. Schools that built programs around international recruitment now face empty classrooms and budget holes. The government argues those programs were never designed to be migration pipelines. The schools might counter that genuine students are being shut out along with opportunists.
The Ministry of Immigration and Integration released data showing that between 2022 and 2024, Nepal and Bangladesh accounted for 6,317 first time study permits to both state approved and non-state approved institutions. Of those, 3,422 went to non-state schools. Nearly 1,900 of those permits led to family reunification visas. That’s a lot of secondary migration from what was supposed to be temporary study stays.
More Restrictions Coming
The May rules were just the opening move. In September, the government rolled out a broader package targeting potential misuse of study permits. Universities now have more power to tighten academic entry requirements for master’s programs. The National ID Center will help schools verify foreign educational documents and review previously issued permits from Nepal and Bangladesh for possible fraud.
The government is also pushing legislative changes through Parliament to formalize some restrictions. This isn’t a quick administrative fix. It’s a multi layered strategy to reshape who gets to study and work in Denmark.
What’s Not Being Said
Here’s what the official numbers don’t tell us. We don’t know how many of those earlier applicants were genuine students who also needed to work to afford living here. We don’t know how many were primarily seeking work with a thin educational cover. And we don’t know yet how this will affect Denmark’s broader reputation among international students.
Denmark has long prided itself on attracting global talent. But the signal sent by these restrictions is clear: if you’re from certain countries and want to combine study with work or family life, look elsewhere. That may be exactly what the government intended. But it also risks discouraging the kind of ambitious, mobile students that Danish universities and companies claim they need.
The data shows the policy worked as a deterrent. Whether it worked as good immigration policy depends on what you think those students were really here to do. I’m not sure we have an honest answer to that yet. What’s certain is that for now, the door isn’t just narrower. For many, it’s closed.
Sources and References
Ministry of Immigration and Integration: Efter stramninger: Stort fald i ansøgninger til ikke-statsligt godkendte uddannelser
The Danish Dream: Denmark Student Visa Everything You Need to Know
The Danish Dream: Study in Denmark A Complete Guide for International Students
The Danish Dream: Immigration and Labour Law in Denmark for Foreigners
