The Workers Rights 
The permit processing system is now a paperless process that is managed by a single system, replacing the two-system route taken in the past by migrant workers travelling to Greenland — and by families following their workers. The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) has also been using two fully digital application tracks (GL1/5 and GL2) during the first half of 2026, filling a gap that had caused workers to be online while families were involved in the process of paperwork (Europe Observer).
The Backstory: Why Greenland Needed a Digital Fix
Greenland’s immigration system is being streamlined gradually and incrementally. An employment scheme called the fast-track system was introduced in September 2021, which allows pre-approved employers in shortage sectors to hire foreign nationals before obtaining a formal employment permit for them, thus ending the previous paper-based system. On 22nd August 2025, SIRI announced a major reduction in the renewal frequency of work and residence permits by extending their validity periods from one year to two, in line with the validity periods of municipal labour permits.
This reduced the burden on renewals, but remained mostly physical for both principal applicants and their families.
A Work Permit Track will be digitised to GL1/5.
On 16th February 2026, GL1/5 will come into effect as a digital application for obtaining a residence permit and employment permit for Greenland, applied straight from newtodenmark.dk. It can also be used to renew an existing work-based permit (Eres Legal).
This was the first time that sponsored workers could submit their application online, monitor it and interact with SIRI without the previous paper application. The problem was that this digitisation was limited to the worker, and not the spouse or children who were with them.
GL2: Closing the Gap for Families
On May 11, 2026, GL2 was launched and provided a digital pathway for accompanying family members. With the application, a family member can apply online for a residence permit in Greenland if one of the members of the family already has a temporary residence permit or one member of the family has held a permanent residence permit for less than three years. It can also be used for the extension of an existing Envoy Global family-member permit.
Both GL1/5 and GL2 applicants get access to a shared online portal where they can log in and view all their ongoing and completed applications for up to 30 days — removing the need to chase paper updates or rely on separate correspondence for each family member’s case.
What This Means in Practice for Migrant Workers
- One digital experience: No longer will workers and their families have to run two parallel processes, one at a slower pace, to do the same in the same online system.
- Less re-application time as families spend less time re-applying due to the combination of fewer cycles and extension of the validity of permits to two years in 2025.
- Enjoy a full digital experience, without the wait for a slower physical process: GL2 eliminates the wait for a slower physical process for a sponsored worker when their spouse or child is waiting on a slower process.
Important Reminder for Applicants
GL1/5 and GL2 are only valid for residence and work permits granted to citizens of Greenland (not to the Danish immigration programs on the mainland, such as the main program for labour migration from 16 countries in 2026). Migrant workers need to check before they apply with the immigration system whether it will apply to their destination and which type of permit they are applying for, because the eligibility rules, income requirements and application portals vary from the Greenland immigration system to the immigration system of the mainland of Denmark.
FAQs
Q1. What is GL1/5?
GL1/5 is Denmark’s digital application, which will be put into use on February 16, 2026, for a residence and work permit for Greenland, which is granted based on paid work.
Q2. What is GL2 and how is it different to GL1/5?
GL2 is a digital application that accompanies family members of a work permit holder from Greenland, which was launched on 11th May 2026. It does not include the worker, but rather the spouses and children of the worker.
Q3. Is it possible to renew an existing family permit with GL2?
Yes. GL2 is also available to apply for to extend the residence permit of an accompanying family member who already has a valid residence permit in Greenland.
Q4. Are Greenland work and residence permits valid for a certain period of time?
On 22nd August 2025, SIRI increased the validity period of Greenland work and residence permits from 1 year to 2 years, thus decreasing the frequency of renewals.
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