Ægteskabudengrænser.dk

My wife and I made an application for family reunification (She's a dane and I am a non-EU) ~5 months ago (23th June) and we are still waiting for the answer. The problem is that we only got a letter saying they had just started looking into our situation in September (23th), after nearly 3 MONTHS we made the application - not to mention the letter sounded really generic and mostly automatic. Until this day we haven't heard from them.
They said if anything was needed they would get in touch, but they haven't.

We fit all the demands for the application (even the new ones they are talking about on TV).
An email has been sent but we have not received an answer yet.

Is this delay normal? I mean, I can understand there is a whole situation going on with new immigrants coming, but we made the application back in June and since our situation doesn't seem to be complicated, I don't see a reason for this huge delay.

Can I start the danish course while I wait for the answer at least? Does the 6 month limit for the Dansk Prøve count when I get my residence card or my application?

It's normal I recieved mine after 9 months of waiting, from my understanding the 6 months starts counting the moment you receive your CPR number.

Of course I cannot speak for your situation specifically, but you should be aware that most of the waiting time for an application happens before it is actually processed - especially when they have a high case load as currently.

In our case, we actually received the letter that the application had been approved the same day as we received the letter that they had started processing it - so hopefully it will not be long before you receive a reply.

There are two different kinds of letters they send though.
One for: "Application has been received"
And one for: "We have the necessary information for processing the request, and will start processing it."

I assume it is the second letter that you have received on the 23rd?

(I can also confirm that the 6 month period for passing the Danish test starts when you become registered with CPR)

MagnusM skrev:Of course I cannot speak for your situation specifically, but you should be aware that most of the waiting time for an application happens before it is actually processed - especially when they have a high case load as currently.
[...]

We received only one letter and it matches your description for the "second letter" - application has been received and is being processed; if more information is needed they will get in touch. We haven't received anything else apart from that - not even the request for the collateral requirement.

Was it a long time ago you guys submitted your application? I mean, if it was way before this immigration crisis and you still waited a long time, my wife and I get ourselves prepared to wait more than one year then.

*One correction: the letter was received on the 23th of September, not October as I stated before.

evc skrev:We received only one letter and it matches your description for the "second letter" - application has been received and is being processed; if more information is needed they will get in touch. We haven't received anything else apart from that - not even the request for the collateral requirement.

Was it a long time ago you guys submitted your application? I mean, if it was way before this immigration crisis and you still waited a long time, my wife and I get ourselves prepared to wait more than one year then. .

We submitted our application in December 2014, and at that point the situation in Syria was already causing delays - so we may just have been lucky with their response speed in our case.

Does your wife have the possibility to check the status of your case on NyIDanmark?

https://www.nyidanmark.dk/minside/

That can give a clue to where the case is in the system. When it disappears entirely, it usulaly means that a decision has been reached and information will be sent out shortly.

MagnusM skrev: We submitted our application in December 2014, and at that point the situation in Syria was already causing delays - so we may just have been lucky with their response speed in our case.

[...]

Yes, we have been checking the status on the website almost weekly. After we received the letter it changed to "Under behandling" and has been like that ever since.
I wish there was more information on which steps are being taken. I know it is neither an impossible or difficult thing to add to their system. I believe it would be a small relief for the families involved in this whole process.
Either way it was good that you mentioned that when the case vanishes from the page an imminent and definitive answer is being made. Now we can predict some behaviors.

The letter you mentioned, the second one stating "all information have been gathered and we will process". Is it sent before or after they ask for the collateral requirement?

Also, Magnus, how long did it take for you and your wife to receive your first letter after you submitted your application? And how long took the whole process?

evc skrev:Yes, we have been checking the status on the website almost weekly. After we received the letter it changed to "Under behandling" and has been like that ever since.
I wish there was more information on which steps are being taken. I know it is neither an impossible or difficult thing to add to their system. I believe it would be a small relief for the families involved in this whole process.
Either way it was good that you mentioned that when the case vanishes from the page an imminent and definitive answer is being made. Now we can predict some behaviors.

Yes, they could definitely provide more information on the process - but considering the immigration stances by the major parties the lack of information is probably intentional. They are, after all, trying to make the process as painful as possible to make less people attempt it.

evc skrev: The letter you mentioned, the second one stating "all information have been gathered and we will process". Is it sent before or after they ask for the collateral requirement?

That one should arrive before the notice for the collateral. The notice for the collateral means that the application has been approved as long as you can provide the collateral. The only thing they will check after that stage is that the collateral is correctly provided.

evc skrev: Also, Magnus, how long did it take for you and your wife to receive your first letter after you submitted your application? And how long took the whole process?

Take a look at this thread: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15173

It's in Danish, but it contains statistics posted by forum users on how long their applications have taken.
This is the timeline for our application:

Sent in application: 5. December 2014
Received receipt: 17. December 2014
Received the notice that the application can be processed: 5. March 2015
Received request for collateral: 3. March 2015
Date when we provided the collateral: 20. March 2015
Date for when Københavns Kommune approved the collateral: 7. April 2015
Residency approval letter received: 17. April 2015

Thanks for the information.

Unfortunately I had to leave the country, but before I did so, we made an appeal. Udlaendingenaevnet already answer (really fast) and said I can stay in the country while the appeal follows its workflow.

Just wanted to update this post and inform my family reunification case has been approved.
We downloaded the form from their website 2 weeks before the new law changed it. So when we delivered it was the old version missing one of the requirements we were not aware of.

Well, anyways. Now things are good.