A weekend consultancy, an evening teaching position, or a small business can look like a straightforward way to use your professional skills. For a foreign national whose Danish residence is based on a particular job, however, permission to perform the main job does not necessarily cover additional work. The issue should be resolved before the second employer expects you to begin. An experienced work permit lawyer can examine the permission you already hold and assess whether the proposed activity needs separate authorisation.
The requirement discussed here is permission for sideline employment. The starting point is the actual permit scheme and the work proposed, rather than the number of hours you hope to work or the fact that another employer is willing to hire you.
Read the permission rather than relying on your professional title
SIRI explains that some schemes include a right to relevant sideline employment, including specified researcher and PhD categories. A person doing research under the Pay Limit Scheme must nevertheless apply separately. The additional activity must be naturally connected to the main work. Where separate permission is needed, the ordinary permitted range is normally 8–15 hours weekly, subject to individual circumstances.
This distinction can be missed when colleagues compare their situations. Two people working in the same laboratory may have different immigration permissions. A colleague’s experience is therefore a prompt to check your own decision letter, not a substitute for doing so.
For illustration, a researcher invited to teach a related course should first identify the scheme named in the approval. Describing the person as a researcher does not answer that question. Ask the second employer to allow time for the immigration position to be clarified before agreeing an unconditional start date.
Explain the professional connection in concrete terms
Prepare a short comparison of your main duties and proposed additional duties. Identify the knowledge, specialist skills, or professional practice shared by the two roles. A description such as “both jobs are in business” may leave the relevant connection unclear.
An illustrative comparison could distinguish a technical specialist advising on the same specialist equipment from that person taking an unrelated retail shift. These examples do not establish eligibility; they show why the explanation should address what you will actually do.
If the proposed activity is your own business, explain the services, customers, expected hours, and your personal work. Do not assume that invoicing instead of receiving a payslip removes the permission question. SIRI’s sideline route expressly contemplates an application to run a business.
Prepare a complete description of the proposed arrangement
Form AR8 asks about the relationship to the main employment, relevant qualifications, previous work, and any professional authorisation. The employer completes its part of the form. This gives the authority a structured account of the activity rather than simply a request to work extra hours.
Recommended preparation includes the existing approval, the proposed job description, the contract or business description, and a realistic weekly timetable. Show both fixed commitments and variable hours. If a client expects availability whenever needed, clarify that arrangement before describing the work as a small, predictable commitment.
Check whether the employer’s description matches your own. If your statement describes occasional teaching but the contract describes ongoing consultancy, resolve the difference openly. Keep a copy of the final version sent by each party.
Separate first permission from renewal and a different second job
SIRI’s renewal guidance requires an extension before expiry and allows application no earlier than three months beforehand. A late renewal means the work cannot continue until new permission is granted. The guidance also states that a new sideline job or position requires a new permit before starting.
Build these events into your planning. A permit expiry reminder should refer to the sideline permission itself, not only to the residence card for your main employment. If a second employer changes your role, ask for the new description in writing before assuming the existing approval still covers it.
The practical question is always whether today’s work is the work authorised. An approval for a limited role should not be treated as a general licence to accept other clients, positions, or hours.
Avoid treating the sideline job as an independent residence basis
A sideline permit is work permission rather than a separate residence entitlement. SIRI links it to the main permit, and its guidance describes consequences if the main permission is revoked or an extension is refused.
If your main job is ending, obtain advice on the actual position before promising the second employer that you can simply increase your hours. Prepare the main employer’s notice and the sideline approval together. An adviser needs both to assess the relationship between the permissions.
People searching for “lawyer visa” should ask for a review of the main permit and proposed additional activity together. A focused review is more useful than asking whether working a few extra hours is generally allowed.
Frequently asked questions
Is a small number of hours automatically allowed?
Do not assume so. The question is whether your permission covers the activity. A low workload alone does not answer it.
Can my employer’s consent replace immigration permission?
Employer consent and immigration permission address different matters. Obtain the necessary clarification before starting.
Does submitting AR8 mean I can begin immediately?
Do not treat submission as approval. Ask which work-start rule applies to your circumstances and obtain a clear answer before beginning.
What if I want to change my second job?
Have the new role assessed before starting. SIRI’s guidance expressly addresses new sideline positions.
What should I bring to a work permit lawyer?
Bring the current approval, proposed contract, duties, and timetable. Copernica Law can review the scope of the permission and the evidence needed for the additional activity.
