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WORK PERMITS

IN NUMBERS: How will foreigners be affected by Sweden’s new work permit threshold?

Sweden's higher work permit threshold came into force on November 1st. Here are the numbers showing the extent to which foreigners will be affected.

Published: 1 November 2023 11:27 CET
Updated: 5 November 2023 07:59 CET
IN NUMBERS: How will foreigners be affected by Sweden's new work permit threshold?
Sweden's restaurant industry is expected to be particularly hard hit by the new work permit rules. Photo: Tomas Oneborg/SvD/TT

63,447

The number of non-EU residents currently in Sweden on work permits.

80 percent

The new salary threshold is 80 percent of Sweden’s median salary according to the most recent figures from Statistics Sweden at the time of application. On June 20th, 2023, Sweden’s median salary was 34,200 kronor a month.

27,360 kronor

The new salary threshold. More than double the old threshold, which was 13,000 kronor.

100 percent 

The government plans to raise the salary threshold to 100 percent of the median salary in the future.

November 1st

The date at which the new work permit salary threshold came into effect for new work permit applications, applications for extensions, and previous applications which have not yet been concluded.

14,991

The number of current work permit holders who don’t meet the new work permit salary threshold.

24,117

The number of work permits issued in Sweden last year. From January to September 2023, the Migration Agency issued 22,847 work permits.

2 years

Work permits in Sweden are issued for a maximum of two years at a time. During the first two years, applicants are tied to a specific job and a specific employer. After two years, they can switch employer, but will need to apply for a new permit if they want to change jobs.

2,200 kronor

The application fee for work permits and work permit extensions. Some occupations pay a lower fee of 2,000 or 1,500 kronor.

Accompanying family members also pay a fee –  1,500 kronor for adults and 750 kronor for children.

Three weeks

The amount of time you have to appeal a rejected work permit application.

One job

It’s not possible to meet the work permit salary requirement by working two (or more) jobs. Your work permit is individual and tied to a specific job, so you will only be offered a work permit if you have a job which fulfills all the requirements by itself.

Between four and 15 months

The time it takes for 75 percent of first-time work permit applicants to receive a response on their application. It varies depending on the industry.

Extension applications have longer waiting times, going up to 18 months for sectors with a 15-month wait for first-time applications, or a slightly lower 15 months for branches with a four month wait for first-time applications.

Member comments

  1. I’m curious about people not meeting the required salary level. Who are they? In which sector are they working?
    Is there any data showing if the local Swedes can compensate for that lost of workforce if those people are forced to leave Sweden?

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WHAT CHANGES IN SWEDEN

Tax deadline and Eurovision tension: What changes in Sweden in May?

Swedish passports are about to become more expensive, but on the other hand the economy could be on the road to recovery depending on what happens on a few crucial dates in May. The Local rounds up the main points you need to know.

Published: 29 April 2024 11:59 CEST
Tax deadline and Eurovision tension: What changes in Sweden in May?

Don’t miss: Sweden’s tax deadline

Tax returns were sent out weeks ago, so you may already have declared your taxes. But if you haven’t, May 2nd is the final deadline. 

If you’re unable to file your tax return on time, then you need to apply for a two-week extension by the May 2nd deadline. If the Tax Agency approves your extension, you’ll have until May 16th to submit it. You can apply for this extension online using your digital ID, or call the agency.

If you’ve already submitted your taxes, but you realise you need to make changes, you can do so online until December 18th. In fact, you can make changes to tax returns from up to six years back, but in that case you need to do so by sending a letter to the Tax Agency.

Before you click submit, make sure you’ve not missed out on these essential deductions.

Time to slash the interest rate?

Sweden’s central bank, the Riksbank, will announce its next decision on the country’s so-called policy rate on May 8th. 

This is a crucial announcement as the policy rate is the bank’s main monetary policy tool. It decides which rates the banks of Sweden can deposit in and borrow money from the Riksbank, which in turn affects the banks’ own interest rates on savings, loans and mortgages. 

Sweden’s policy rate is relatively high at the moment, 4.0 percent (the highest since 2008), because of the Riksbank trying to bring down inflation. If bank interest rates are high, it’s expensive to borrow money, which means people spend less and as a result inflation drops.

But now that inflation is on its way down, Riksbank chiefs themselves have said that they think it’s likely that they will cut the policy rate in either May or June, and several economists predict that the cut is going to come sooner rather than later, which would mean in May.

Once the cut comes, you should be able to see a knock-on effect on, for example, the cost of your mortgage, so lenders and home-owners will be keeping a close eye on what happens on May 8th.

Swedish passports set to get 25 percent more expensive

The cost of getting a Swedish passport is set to be hiked by 25 percent on May 1st, from 400 to 500 kronor.

So in other words, if you’re about to get or renew your Swedish passport, get it done now if you can. You often have to wait weeks for an appointment, but it’s sometimes possible to get a last-minute slot if people cancel their appointments. In Stockholm, for example, when The Local looked on Monday morning, there were still a few open slots in Norrtälje before May 1st, but nowhere else in the region.

You don’t have to get a passport in the same region you live in.

The higher fee will apply for all appointments on or after May 1st, even if you booked them before that date.

According to a government press release, the higher fee is necessary to “maintain the level of service” and ensure that the police authority’s revenue from the fees covers the cost, as passport operations are funded by fees.

Controversial Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Malmö

The Eurovision Song Contest – Europe’s by far biggest music competition – is heading to Malmö Arena in southern Sweden in May, with the first semi-final kicking off on May 7th, followed by the second semi-final on May 9th and culminating in the final on May 11th. 

It’s a highly-anticipated event, albeit this year with a mix of joy and trepidation. 

The row over whether Israel should be allowed to participate after its brutal retaliatory attack on Hamas and Gaza has led to protests (at least half a dozen applications have been filed for demonstration permits) and artists pulling out of performing at Eurovision side events.

Swedish broadcaster TV4 reports that ten percent of volunteers have already pulled out, and Moriskan, an event venue that was set to organise Euro Fan Café for Eurovision fans, has also cancelled its participation, despite being in the middle of Eurovision Village. “Our assessment is that we could risk our future if we go through with the event,” its CEO Ozan Sunar told the Sydsvenskan newspaper.

Malmö is home to more than 360,000 people and 186 nationalities, and a large part of the city’s population is of Palestinian origin.

Add to that the fact that security was already likely to be tight at the event, after Sweden last year raised its terror alert to four on a five-point scale.

More than 100,000 people are expected to visit Malmö during Eurovision week, and police reinforcements are being brought in from Denmark and Norway.

Swedish economy set for Swift revival?

We hesitate to write this, but Eurovision may in fact not be Sweden’s most significant music event of the year, or even in the month of May. 

In mid-May, Taylor Swift is coming to Stockholm. The megastar is set to play three gigs at Friends Arena, on May 17th-19th, the only stop she’ll make in Scandinavia as part of The Eras Tour. And we’re not just keeping an eye on this as Swifties, but because of the economy.

“Swiftonomics” has already become a global concept, as cities where she plays tend to see a brief bump in revenue as fans descend on the city, buying hotel tickets and eating in restaurants. She’s expected to have a 417,900,000 kronor impact on the Swedish capital, according to the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. A similar phenomenon was seen last year, when Beyonce launched her global tour in Stockholm.

Whether this is good or bad depends on your viewpoint. On the one hand, it kicks the economy into action, which could bring a much-wanted GDP boost. On the other hand, it may drive up the inflation rate at a point when Sweden and the Riksbank are hoping for the opposite. 

That said, it has been questioned how much of an effect single events like these actually has on inflation.

Regardless, expect it to be a talking point in the coming month. And if you’re planning a trip to Stockholm for reasons other than Taylor Swift, you may want to consider scheduling your visit for dates other than May 17th-19th to avoid the hordes of fans and marked up hotel prices.

Holidays and other dates

May 1st, a day for celebrating workers’ movements, has been a public holiday in Sweden since 1939. Expect to see rallies organised by left or centre-left parties and organisations, but otherwise not much happens on May 1st in Sweden other than most people having the day off. 

Ascension Day, which this year falls on May 9th, is also a public holiday in Sweden. Known as Kristi himmelfärdsdag in Swedish (or colloquially Kristi flygare – “flying Christ”), it marks the day when Christians believe Jesus ascended into heaven. But as Sweden is a relatively secular country, unless you don’t go to church you’re unlikely to notice anything remarkable – again, other than getting a day off.

Mother’s Day in Sweden falls on the last Sunday of May, this year May 26th. It is not a public holiday.

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