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WORK PERMITS

Sweden expects fewer work permit applications in 2020 due to coronavirus

With the coronavirus expected to impact both international travel and the economy for months if not years to come, the Swedish Migration Agency has said it expects fewer work permit applications than earlier forecast for 2020.

Sweden expects fewer work permit applications in 2020 due to coronavirus
Earlier in 2020, the government announced a plan to overhaul the work permit system in Sweden. Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/TT

“Like large sections of society, the Migration Agency is also affected by the ongoing corona pandemic,” the agency wrote in a statement explaining that it had adjusted its forecasts for several categories of cases, including asylum applications and work permit applications.

Overall, it forecast that 51,000 work permit applications would be made in Sweden; 8,000 fewer than last year and 6,000 fewer than an earlier forecast for 2020. 

But this number may reduce further depending on how long the pandemic and its consequences last for. The current forecast was based on the assumption that global travel restrictions will be reduced in summer, and will be adjusted month by month.

“It is not an assessment, but a simplified assumption made in order to handle an uncertain and changing situation in the forecasting process. This assumption may need to be adjusted, which we will return to in our July forecast. We are following the development [of the coronavirus] and are taking measures on an ongoing basis to secure our operations and contribute to a reduced spread of infection,” said the agency's head of planning, Henrik Holmer.

Normally a permit is required for anyone who moves to Sweden to work from outside the EU and without any other kind of visa or permit for Sweden (such as a family visa). 

There is currently a ban on entry to Sweden from outside the EEA and Switzerland, part of an EU-wide travel ban. It doesn't apply to everyone, with Swedish citizens and residents exempted as well as foreign workers whose jobs are deemed important to essential societal functions, a category that includes agricultural workers for example.

However, even workers who are technically able to travel to Sweden for work may find it hard to do so, due to domestic travel restrictions in place overseas making it hard to visit Swedish embassies, and a lack of commercial flights.

The pandemic has also hit the economy, leading to large scale job losses, and several people have spoken to The Local about their experience of losing the job they had moved to Sweden for.

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In 2019, almost 60,000 work permit applications were submitted in Sweden, more than the year before and the continuation of an upward trend.

The most common category was “technicians and associate professionals”, which made up 8,414 of all approved permits and primarily included berry-pickers and fast-food workers. This was followed by the 6,547 work permit grantees defined as “specialists”, referring to jobs requiring education beyond tertiary, including architects, healthcare specialists, some teachers, legal professionals, HR specialists, doctors and others.

Earlier in 2020, the Swedish government announced plans to overhaul its work permit system, including by reviewing maintenance requirements for family members of work permit holders, and introducing a special visa for workers with skills that are particularly in-demand in Sweden.

This is in order to both prevent exploitation of foreign workers and address the problem of work permit holder deportations over minor errors.

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WORKING IN SWEDEN

When will Sweden raise the work permit salary threshold?

Sweden's work permit salary threshold is currently set as 80 percent of the most recent median salary figures, which are from June last year. When are these figures going to be updated, increasing the threshold?

When will Sweden raise the work permit salary threshold?

What’s the current salary threshold?

On November 1st, 2023, Sweden’s work permit salary threshold was set at 80 percent of the median salary, as calculated each year by Statistics Sweden. This means that the limit will change every year as the median salary changes.

It’s currently 27,360 kronor, or 80 percent of the most recent median salary figure from June 2023.

How much will it go up by and when?

We don’t know what the new median salary will be yet, but we do know that Statistics Sweden will release its new median salary figure on June 18th, 2024. It will almost definitely rise, meaning that the threshold for a new work permit or a work permit extension will also rise.

It’s worth noting that this will only apply to applications submitted after June 18th – the threshold is determined by the most recent salary figures at the time of application, not at the time a decision is made. This means that if you have a valid work permit in Sweden but you earn below the new limit, you’ll be allowed to stay in Sweden until your permit expires.

You will, however, need to earn above the threshold when you apply for a work permit extension or permanent residency.

Are there any plans to raise the salary threshold further?

Yes. The government plans to raise the work permit threshold for new permits to 100 percent of the median salary (currently 34,200 kronor, although this will also rise as Statistics Sweden releases new figures) at the time of application, with exemptions for some categories of workers. 

This is currently going through the consultation stage (remiss) of the legislative process, which means it is not yet a firm proposal. If it does go ahead, the proposed starting date is June 1st, 2025.

There would be a one-year grace period for work permit renewals: the current rule (80 percent of the median salary) would continue to apply for any applications for extensions submitted to the Migration Agency by June 1st 2026 at the latest.

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