Filipino in a long-distance relationship with a Danish citizen. Is there a realistic way for us to live together in Denmark?
Hi everyone! I hope this is allowed to ask here.
I'm a Filipino afab (25), currently living in the Philippines, and my boyfriend is a Danish citizen living in Denmark. We're in a long-distance relationship, and I've been trying to figure out whether there's a realistic way for us to eventually live together.
My boyfriend has a stoma and an autoimmune disease. Despite his health conditions, he manages his daily life independently, works in IT with flexible hours iirc, and receives disability benefits.
I've been looking into the possibility of getting married and applying for family reunification, but the Danish immigration requirements have been very overwhelming. We're concerned about the financial guarantee, the rules regarding public benefits, and whether his disability or medical circumstances could qualify us for any exemptions.
He has expressed that he worries we might be stuck in a long-distance relationship indefinitely because visiting each other regularly would be expensive and unsustainable in the long run. He's also concerned that his employment and financial circumstances might make it difficult for him to bring me to Denmark.
We're trying to understand our options before making any major decisions.
I'd really appreciate advice from anyone who has experience with Danish family reunification, especially Danish citizens with foreign spouses or couples who have dealt with disability-related circumstances.
Some questions:
Would his receiving disability benefits affect his ability to sponsor me if he also has an IT job?
Does the type of disability benefit he receives make a difference under the family-reunification rules?
Can a Danish citizen's serious illness or disability qualify their foreign spouse for exemptions from certain requirements?
Would getting married in the Philippines rather than Denmark make any practical difference to the immigration process?
Are there any other legitimate routes we should investigate if ordinary family reunification isn't possible?
Would moving to another EU country together ever be a realistic option, or would that generally be too complicated or expensive?
We're not looking for loopholes or ways to misrepresent our circumstances. We just want to understand the legal options available to us and whether we have a realistic chance of building a life together.
Thank you for reading. I still really want to be with him, he makes me genuinely happy and I'm hoping we can do something about this. He looked through options and felt our relationship is hopeless because of the circumstances. I still don't want to give up.