Raising the salary threshold for work permits
What will the proposal do?
It would set a new salary threshold of around 80 percent of Sweden’s median salary, a threshold of 26,560 kronor a month, meaning that anyone earning below this figure would not qualify for a work permit.
The minimum salary someone coming to Sweden from outside the EU can be offered and still be eligible for a work permit would be increased to 80 percent of the median salary, as calculated each year by Statistics Sweden.
Under current rules, the minimum salary is set at the lowest level at which the Migration Agency estimates it is possible to survive in Sweden without welfare support, just 13,000 kronor a month.
This would be more than doubled to 26,560 kronor a month, although this is still lower than the 33,000 kronor a month proposed in the government and Sweden Democrats’ Tidö coalition agreement after the election.
What’s the status of the proposal?
It was passed as law by parliament in late November 2022.
In the note, it states: “The change in the law will come into force on the day the government decides”, and the government says that the change in the regulations, or förordningändringen, which will actually change the salary requirement will be set at the same time as the law comes into force.
It proposes October 1st as the date.
On May 4th, a notice was published of the planned threshold level, rather than the actual directive changing the salary threshold. It is now being sent out for consultation to employer organisations, government agencies and the like, so it remains possible that the government will alter its plans slightly before October 1st.
There have already been several consultations held over the salary threshold, however, so it is difficult to see what, if anything, new will emerge.
Anyone who living in Sweden with an existing work permit will not be affected by the higher salary threshold until they apply to renew it.
It is currently unclear, however, whether anyone who has a work permit application or renewal pending on October 1st will be covered by the new minimum salary level or the one in place at the time they applied.
Malmer Stenergard told The Local at a press conference in February that those renewing work permits would be given a one-year grace period during which time the old 13,000 kronor salary threshold would apply.
But in the document published on May 4th, it states that “there is no requirement for decisions on a transition period”.
Elin Harrysson, the leader of EY’s Immigration Practice for Sweden, told The Local that she interpreted this as meaning that any applications waiting for a decision on October 1st would be covered by the new threshold.
The Local has contacted Malmer Stenergard’s press secretary for clarification.
Travel visas for work permit holders
What will the proposal do?
In a sit-down interview in February, The Local asked Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard if the government is planning on introducing a travel visa which would enable work permit applicants to leave Sweden and return, as countries such as Denmark and Germany have done.
“Yes, I will consider it,” she said.
“I’m well aware of this problem, which also affects people who would like to go to seminars and so on abroad who are refused [the ability] to do so. So it is truly a problem.”
For those from nationalities that require a visa to enter Sweden, it has meant that while they are free to leave Sweden, they risk being refused entry at the border if they try to return. Thousands of workers on whom Sweden’s economy relies have as a result been effectively trapped in the country.
Malmer Stenergard explained in the interview that the government is trying to combat the long waiting times by ordering Swedish migration authorities to “promote highly-skilled labour migration”, which will present a plan for a “new organisation” designed to focus only on highly-skilled labour migrants.
“Hopefully, that will lead to shorter handling times and make it more attractive for foreigners to come here to work in skilled and highly-skilled professions,” she said.
What’s the status of the proposal?
This has not yet been formally proposed.
Introducing labour market testing for work permits
What will the proposal do?
It would reintroduce labour market tests for work permits, meaning that work permits will only be granted for jobs in sectors experiencing a shortage.
Denmark has had a similar system, dubbed the Positive List, for a number of years, which is updated twice a year and comprises two lists: one for people with a higher education and one for other skilled workers.
You can read more about labour market testing here.
What’s the status of the proposal?
This proposal has been scrapped and has instead been replaced with a proposal to make it harder for low-skilled immigrants to move to Sweden, and easier for highly-skilled immigrants to get work permits in Sweden. See more details on the new proposal here.
Language and culture tests for citizenship
What will the proposal do?
It would introduce a language and culture test for citizenship applications, which would apply to those aged between 16 and 66.
An inquiry into bringing in the language requirement concluded in January 2021 that applicants for citizenship should be able to listen to and read Swedish at B1 the second of the six levels in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), equivalent to having completed level D, the fourth-highest level in the Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) course.
This is a fairly high level of Swedish. It’s enough to get the gist of what’s in Swedish newspapers, listen to the radio, or to follow a lecture without too much difficulty.
When it comes to speaking or writing Swedish, the inquiry suggested requiring a lower level, A2. This is equivalent to SFI level C.
This is the same level which the government has suggested for those applying for permanent residency for reading and listening as well as speaking and writing.
With regards to the culture test, the law proposes a digital test of “basic knowledge needed to live and function in Swedish society focusing on democracy and the democratic process”, which would be based off the contents of a book produced specifically for test purposes.
What’s the status of the proposal?
This law is at the remiss, or “consultation”, stage. The inquiry report and its proposals are sent for consultation to the relevant government agencies or organisations, municipalities and other stakeholders, who can submit remissvar, or “responses”.
It is the government department responsible for the proposed law that gets to decide which organisations or individuals are invited to submit responses, so sometimes organisations who believe they should have a say do not get one. It is possible for these organisations to send a response uninvited, but the government is not required to read them or take their arguments on board.
Indeed, the answers given in consultation responses are purely advisory, meaning the government can, and often does, ignore the views of agencies and other stakeholders. If the responses are extremely critical, or raise insuperable obstacles, however, the proposed law can also be abandoned at this stage.
Despite not yet going through a parliamentary vote, if it does go ahead, the law has a proposed introduction date of January 1st 2025.
Language and culture tests for permanent residency
What will the proposal do?
This would, similarly to the law on citizenship above, introduce a language and culture knowledge requirement for permanent residency applications.
In a press conference on May 29th, it was announced that the language test would consist of two 50 minutes listening tests with a ten minute break, at CEFR level A2, and the culture test would be the same length and would test applicants on a range of topics related to living in Sweden.
The suggested date of implementation according to the proposal is July 1st, 2027.
More information on what we know about the content of the tests and who will have to take them here.
What’s the status of the proposal?
This law has completed the inquiry stage and will now be sent out for consultation to relevant government agencies or organisations, municipalities and other stakeholders, who can submit remissvar, or “responses”.
Strengthened system for coordination numbers
What will the proposal do?
This law will make the Swedish Tax Agency wholly responsible for awarding coordination numbers, the numbers given to people living in Sweden who are not yet eligible for a personal number, personnummer.
This should make it easier to keep track of which numbers are held by real people and which are dormant. The bill will also create a new category of “supported identity” coordination numbers, where the holder goes to a Tax Agency office in person with a passport or other identity document and has their identity confirmed.
These should meet a sufficiently high security threshold to allow holders to access BankID, opening the way for them to access a host of services in Sweden.
What’s the status of the proposal?
It was passed as law on November 30th 2022, and is due to come into force on September 1st 2023 (January 1st 2023 for affected staff at foreign embassies).
Crackdown on work and residence permit abuses
What will the policy do?
The government in December 2022 ordered the Migration Agency to “develop its handling processes”, “create a clear division of responsibility for recalling work and residence permits”, and carry out an analysis into whether an “automated system and other types of case-handling support” could be used to a greater extent.
In addition, it told the agency to “step up its work on recalling residency for studies in higher education, where there are indications that residency permits are being misused”.
What’s the status of this policy?
The agency has been asked to submit a written account on how it is enacting the government’s requests by June 30th 2023.
Tighten asylum legislation to ‘minimum level’ allowed in EU
What will the policy do?
The government wants to tighten asylum legislation to the “minimum level” allowed under European Union law or other international treaties to which Sweden is a signatory.
It could withdraw residency from asylum seekers “if the original grounds for asylum no longer apply”, abolish permanent residency for asylum seekers in favour of temporary residency permits, and reduce the scope for family reunion for those with residency in Sweden to the minimum circle of relatives allowed under EU law: a spouse or domestic partner and any children under 18 years.
It could also establish transit centres either in Sweden or overseas, if possible under the Swedish constitution and European Convention on Human Rights.
What’s the status of this policy?
This policy was included in the government and Sweden Democrats’ coalition document, the Tidö Agreement, but has not been formally proposed yet. However, in the Tidö Agreement, the parties stated that an inquiry into changes to asylum and immigration law would be launched “in spring 2023”, with the aim of passing a new law in parliament before the mandate period comes to an end in 2026.
Extending residence requirement for citizenship and other changes to citizenship
What will the proposals do?
They would extend the time it takes to qualify for Swedish citizenship from the current limit of five years (three years for spouses or cohabiting partners of Swedish citizens) to eight years “in the normal case”.
It’s not clear what, if any, exceptions there will be for citizenship applications, or whether those married to a Swedish citizen or with Swedish children will have a reduced wait.
On top of this, the government and Sweden Democrats want to introduce a demand that anyone applying for Swedish citizenship can support themselves financially, investigate the possibility of introducing a new obligatory ceremony, such as an oath of loyalty or a citizenship interview which would act as the final stage in citizenship process, and look into the possibility of withdrawing citizenship from dual citizens who carry out “system-threatening crimes”, or whose citizenship was granted on false premises.
What’s the status of these proposals?
These policies were also included in the Tidö Agreement but have not yet been formally proposed. The Tidö Agreement does not list any specific deadline or goal for passing such laws either, although it is likely that a directive would be issued (the first stage of the legislative process) before the current mandate period ends in 2026.
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