DENMARK'S(DANISH) GREEN CARD SCHEME

Introduction

The Danish Green Card scheme allows you to live and work in Denmark if you can score enough points based upon criteria such as age, language skills, work experience, and education. If you score at least 100 points, you can obtain a residence permit valid for up to18 months. In addition, you will be able to bring your immediate family along.

As well as scoring 100 points, you must have a valid health insurance policy and be able to provide proof that you can support yourself and your family while you look for work inDenmark.

The Danish Green Card Points Based System

Under the Danish Green Card scheme, points are score under five areas: Education, Language Skills, Work Experience, Adaptability, and Age. It is also possible to score a number of bonus points for various factors described below.

Education

To score points for Education, you must have the Danish equivalent of a bachelors degree. Your academic credentials must be assessed by CIRIUS, a body under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation.

In addition to points scored for your degree, bonus points can be awarded under Education for obtaining a degree from a top school or by having an education which qualifies you for work in an occupation on the Positive List*.

With the addition of bonus points, the maximum number of points that can be scored for Education is 105. It is possible for you to score enough points for a work and residence permit based solely upon points earned for Education.

Education level	Points
Bachelors degree	30
Bachelors degree + 1 year Masters degree	50
Masters degree	60
PhD	80

Bonus points can also be earned under Education:

School Ranking	Bonus Points
Top 400	5
Top 200	10
Top 100	15

Education related to occupation on the Positive List*	Bonus Points
Yes	10

Please take note that Denmark has special requirements for degrees earned from Indian universities.

India

Indian Qualification	Danish equivalent
Diploma (1 year)/Polytechnic and College of Technology	Individual assessment in comparison to (possibly part of) a Danish vocational qualification (EUD)
Diploma (2 years)/Polytechnic and College of Technology	Individual assessment in comparison to (possibly part of) a Danish vocational qualification (EUD)
Diploma (3-4 years)/Polytechnic and College of Technology	Individual assessment in comparison to a Danish vocational qualification (EUD)
Postgraduate Certificate/Diploma in Engineering/Polytechnic	Individual assessment
Bachelor of Arts/Science/Commerce (Pass), 3 years	2 years of a Danish Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor of Arts/Science/Commerce (Honours/Special Degree), 3 years	2 years of a Danish Bachelor's Degree (in certain circumstances, a full Danish Bachelor's Degree)
Bachelor of Engineering etc., 4 years	Danish Bachelor's Degree (in certain circumstances, a professional Bachelor's Degree)
Master's Degree/Master's of Arts/Science/Commerce,1 to 2 years	4 years of a Danish master degree (if a thesis is included, the degree may be comparable to a full Danish Master's Degree)
Master's of Engineering etc, 2 years	Danish Master's Degree
Postgraduate Diploma (PGD), 1-2 years	Individual assessment.
Master of Philosophy, 1-2 years	Individual assessment
PhD (3 years)	Danish Ph.D. degree

Language Skills

You can earn a maximum of 30 points for language skills which includes knowledge of Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, English or German. Points can be earned for both one Scandinavian language (Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian) and either English or German, but not for both English and German or two or more Scandinavian languages.

You will be required to show that you have passed an exam equivalent to at least a Danish Language Test, Level 1. Alternatively, you can prove language proficiency through a statement by your previous employer stating that you used Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, English or German while performing your job for at least one year, or by proving that you have completed at least one year's study in higher education which was taught in one of these languages. In the case of these last two requirements, you will have shown a language proficiency equal to a Study Test in Danish as a Second Language.

Language Proficiency Level	Points
Level 1	5
Level 2	10
Level 3	15
Study Test in Danish as a Second Language	20

Work Experience

You can score a maximum of 15 points under Work Experience. Your points are earned based upon the number of years you have worked as a researcher, or in a field of work that is currently in shortage in Denmark (i.e., a job listed on the Positive List*). If this does not apply to you, you can still earn points for experience any other single occupation.

Work Experience	Points
3-5 years experience as a researcher or in a field on the Positive List	15
1-2 years experience as a researcher or in a field on the Positive List	10
3-5 years experience in other work	5

Adaptability

If you have studied or worked in the European Union/European Economic Area, you can claim a maximum of 15 points for adaptability. You can only claim points for either education experience or work experience -- not both.

EU/EEA Education Experience	Points
Completion of at least one year of study in higher education in the EU/EEA or Switzerland	5
Completion of at least three years of study in higher education in the EU/EEA or Switzerland	10

EU/EEA Work Experience	Points
At least one year of work and residence in an EU/EEA country or Switzerland	5
At least two years of work and residence in an EU/EEA country or Switzerland	10

Age

You can also earn a maximum of 15 points for your age:

Age	Points
35-40 years	10
34 years or younger	15

Family Members

If you are granted a residence permit under Denmark's Green Card Scheme, your spouse or partner is also eligible for a residence permit, as well as any children under the age of 18 who are living at home with you. Your spouse or partner is allowed to work full time for the entire period of the residence permit's validity.

Financial Requirements

You must be able to provide proof that you can support your stay in Denmark for the first year while you search for work. This can be done in the form of a recent bank statement in your name which clearly states in which currency it was issued and on what date. You must also show that you are able to support any dependants who will be staying with you in Denmark.

The monthly rates required to meet the financial requiremnents before tax are (as of 2011):

• DKK 5,367 for persons under the age of 25 living alone
• DKK 6,472 for persons 25 years of age and older living alone
• DKK 5,367 per person for spouses or cohabiting partners

Addional monthly rates (called "caregiver supplements") apply if you have children under 18 living in the household. A household can receive a maximum of two caregiver supplements. The monthly caregiver supplement is (as of 2011):

• DKK 1,342 per child for married or cohabiting parents
• DKK 1,619 per child for single parents

For example, if you plan to immigrate by yourself to Denmark and you are over the age of 25, you must have DKK 6,472 X 12 months = DKK 77,664 available to fund your first year in Denmark. If you are coming as a single parent of three children and you are over the age of 25, you must have (DKK 6,472 X 12) + (1,619 X 2 X 12) = DKK 116,520 available to fund your first year in Denmark.

*POSITIVE LIST

Positive List of Shortage Occupations for Danish Work Permits

The Positive List is a list of occupations that are in shortage in Denmark. Foreign workers from outside the European Union and the European Economic Area/Switzerland are eligible for work and residence permits under the Positive List scheme if they have a job offer in one of these occupations from a Danish employer.

In addition, applicants under Denmark's Green Card scheme are eligible for bonus points on their points test if they have experience in an occupation on the Positive List.

Occupations whose requirements are marked with an asterisk require Danish authorization.

Academic work

Occupation	Requirement
Accountant	Master's degree
Assistant professor, social sciences	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level
Associate professor, natural science and technology	Master's degree
Associate professor, social sciences	Master's degree
Building engineer	Master's degree
Business controller	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level
Chemist	Master's degree
Construction engineer	Master's degree
Consulting physician	Master's degree*
Dentist	Master's degree*
Electric engineer	Medium-cycle higher education
Financial controller	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level
Fresh water biologist	Master's degree
General practitioner	Master's degree*
Geologist	Master's degree
Geophysicist	Master's degree
Hospital doctor	Master's degree*
Hospital physicist	Master's degree
Lawyer	Master's degree*
Legal assistant	Master's degree
Mechanical engineer	Medium-cycle higher education
Medical consultant	Master's degree*
Medical specialist	Master's degree*
Music teacher	Master's degree
Physical geographer	Master's degree
Secondary school teacher, natural sciences physical education	Master's degree*

IT and telecommunication

Occupation	Requirement
Database developer	Documentation of at least three years' IT education
IT consultant	Documentation of at least three years' IT education
IT project manager	Documentation of at least three years' IT education
Network consultant	Documentation of at least three years' IT education
Software developer	Documentation of at least three years' IT education
System developer	Documentation of at least three years' IT education

Management

Occupation	Requirement
Accounting manager	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level
Deputy head of institution	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level
Head of department	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level
Head of institution	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level
Head of institution department	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level
Production manager	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level
Sales manager	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level
School department head	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level
Social and health department head	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

Educational, social and religious work

Occupation	Requirement
Remedial teacher	Professional Bachelor's degree
Social educator	Professional Bachelor's degree
Social educator of children, young people and adults with special needs	Professional Bachelor's degree
Social worker	Professional Bachelor's degree

Sales, purchases and marketing

Occupation	Requirement
Account manager	Documentation of at least three years' education at university level
Product specialist	Industry relevant professional Bachelor's degree

Health, healthcare and personal care

Occupation	Requirement
Anaesthetic nurse	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Bioanalyst	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Chiropractor	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Head physiotherapist	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Head midwife	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Head nurse	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Head radiographer	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Head bioanalyst	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Health visitor, Visiting nurse	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Midwife	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Nurse	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Physiotherapist	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Operating theatre nurse	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Optician	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Radiographer	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Surgical appliance maker	Professional Bachelor's degree*

Education and tuition

Occupation	Requirement
Continuation school teacher	Professional Bachelor's degree*
Primary and lower secondary school teacher	Professional Bachelor's degree*

* Requires Danish Authorisation

US Visa Interview Process

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10 Things to know about New GRE Pattern 2011. Changes to Revised GRE.

The team of new GRE pattern 2011 say “it is the largest revision in the history of GRE, which is about 60 years, ”. They say it is the “changes in the demographics of the test takers, technology changes, etc”, have lead to this revision and they are really excited about the changes to the GRE format. Some of them say it is “thoughtful, better by design and revolution”.  The below reasons are my thoughts after reviewing all the material and watching videos on ETS site by the New GRE pattern team.

10 Things to know about the New Revised GRE General Test 2011

1.Better Design:

The new design is Multi-State Design, where you can go back and forward in a particular section and edit the answers. You can mark and go back to a question and answer. It is different from the way the current GRE works. The goal is to create a more natural test experience.

2. Improved Quality of Data:

The quality of the data used for the GRE Test will be better in the new pattern. New GRE pattern is designed to measure those skills that are critical to graduate and Business programs.

3.New GRE 2011 Mark and Go back and Calculator Most revisions to Verbal Section :

The verbal section is the most changed section of the whole GRE. There will be more complex reasoning. No antonyms and analogies. No vocabulary out of context. New types of questions.

4. Quantitative reasoning :

They are including a calculator to avoid distractions in test caused my minor mistakes. They are interested in reasoning ability and not the arithmetic calculations. More emphasis on Data interpretation and real life scenarios.

5. Analytical Writing :

There are not many major changes here but there will be expectations for more focused responses and less generalization.

6. New Test Score Scaling :

Due to changes to verbal and quant sections the new scale for them will be 130 to 170 score scale with increments of 1 point instead of before 200 to 800 with 10 point increments. The analytical writing section will have same scale of 0 to 6 with 0.5 increments.  The new test is designed to give fair chance to demonstrate your reasoning skills irrespective of your background.

7. First New GRE 2011 Test Scores and Test :

The first day of test is Aug 1, 2011. The scores for the tests taken between august and October will be available in November 2011. Applicants who need to GRE Scores before November 2011, should take the current test before Aug 2011. The score reporting will go back to normal 10-15 day cycle after late November.

8. Paper based Testing :

If you are taking paper based test, then you have to take before Nov 2011. The test dates that are available are  : Oct 23, Nov 20 in 2010 and Feb 12, 2011. All the new changes to GRE will be available in the paper based test too after the launch.

9. Split Test Going away :

if you are in China, Hon Kong, Korea and Taiwan, you may be used to split-test. It is going away with new pattern.  The new test will facilitate faster reporting, offered more often on computer and can be done in same day and single sitting.

10. GRE Test prep Material :

The GRE Test prep material was available more than an year ahead of time for better preparation. In fact, it is currently available now at GRE website : Revised GRE  General Test Sample Questions