Question 1

What software do I need to start an immigration agency in Sweden?

Accepted Answer

Five things: case management that follows the Swedish Migration Agency's steps and deadlines, secure document collection, a portal for client companies and candidates, a CRM for winning employers, and an office suite with e-signature. One tool built for European work permits can cover the first three; keep a CRM and an office suite for the rest.

Question 2

Which case management software suits a relocation and immigration agency in Sweden?

Accepted Answer

One that runs the whole client journey: the quote and agreement, the work permit through the Swedish Migration Agency's steps, documents and the decision, then housing, population registration and settling in, with invoices per milestone. A general CRM can hold the client records, but you would build and maintain every Swedish permit workflow yourself.

Question 3

Is there global mobility software an independent agency can use without competing with the vendor?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but check first. Several global mobility platforms also sell immigration and relocation services to employers, so an agency using them may be competing with its own software vendor for clients. Ask whether the software is offered alone, to agencies, with every feature.

Question 4

What if the country I work with isn't supported by Settio?

Accepted Answer

Tell us. Settio is happy to help and to coordinate with your agency or HR team for a country that isn't listed yet. Every case already shows only its own country's steps and sources, so a new country fits the same workspace.

Question 5

Can I run an immigration agency on a spreadsheet?

Accepted Answer

For the first few cases, yes. A spreadsheet does not know the permit's steps, does not move deadlines when a start date moves, cannot collect documents safely and gives clients no view, so most agencies outgrow it around their tenth active case.

Question 6

How do I collect passports from candidates safely under GDPR?

Accepted Answer

Through a portal, not email. The candidate uploads once, the file is stored with access only for the people on the case, it is deleted on a set retention schedule, and every provider that stores it has signed a data processing agreement.

Question 7

Is there a client portal for candidates going through a work permit?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A candidate portal shows each person their next steps, takes their uploads and reminds them in their language, while a separate client view shows the employer's HR their people and what is waiting on whom.

Question 8

What does a new immigration agency need on day one?

Accepted Answer

A client agreement and a data processing agreement, a price list per case, a way to plan and track each permit, a safe way to collect documents, and a clear line between your advice and the authority's decision. Software helps with the last three; the agreements are yours to write.

Question 9

How should an immigration agency price its services?

Accepted Answer

Most agencies charge per case, often in milestones (on signing, on filing, on decision), and many add a monthly fee per person for monitoring permits after arrival. Per-case pricing matches how employers budget a hire and keeps a quiet month cheap for both sides.

Question 10

How can a small agency keep client companies updated without email threads?

Accepted Answer

Give each client a login with their people, the next step for each and what is waiting on whom. Status questions drop, and the email that remains is about decisions, not progress.

Question 11

What is the union statement in a Swedish work permit application?

Accepted Answer

During the application, the relevant trade union is given the chance to comment on the employment terms. The employer starts the application in the Swedish Migration Agency's e-service and sends the terms to the union for the industry; if the union doesn't comment, the Agency itself checks the terms against the collective agreement or what is usual in the occupation.

Question 12

How do I hire an employee from outside the EU in Sweden?

Accepted Answer

Advertise the job in Sweden and the EU for at least ten days, then sign an employment contract on terms at least at the collective agreement level, with a monthly salary of at least 34,470 SEK for applications from 16 June 2026. Start the application in the Swedish Migration Agency's employer e-service; the union gets to comment on the terms and the employee completes their part. The permit must be granted before they come to Sweden to work.

Question 13

What documents are needed for a Swedish work permit?

Accepted Answer

Copies of a valid passport and an employment contract signed by both the employee and the employer, with salary, insurance and terms at the collective agreement or industry level. The employer adds the terms in the e-service, the union gets to comment, and family members add proof of the relationship.

Question 14

How long does a Swedish work permit take?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the permit type and the occupation. The Swedish Migration Agency publishes current decision times per permit type, and Settio's free Decision Wait Times tool shows them in one place. Complete applications are decided fastest, so most delay is avoidable.

Question 15

Who submits the work permit application in Sweden, the employer or the employee?

Accepted Answer

Both. The employer starts the application in the Swedish Migration Agency's employer e-service with the terms of the employment, the union gets to comment, then the employee completes their part, adds their documents and pays the fee.

Question 16

What is the minimum salary for a work permit in Sweden?

Accepted Answer

34,470 SEK a month for a work permit from 16 June 2026, and 53,625 SEK a month for an EU Blue Card from 15 July 2026. The salary must also match the collective agreement or what is usual in the industry, and it has to stay there for as long as the person holds the permit.

Question 17

What happens if an employee's work permit is refused?

Accepted Answer

The decision states the reasons and whether it can be appealed, usually within three weeks of receiving it. Often the faster route is a new, complete application that fixes the reason, such as the salary, insurance or advertising.

Question 18

Can an employee on a work permit change jobs or roles in Sweden?

Accepted Answer

A first work permit is tied to one employer and one kind of work; after two years of permits in total it is tied to the kind of work only. A new employer or a new occupation needs a new permit. The person can start the new job once they have applied, if they applied before the current permit expires and the new employer advertised the job.

Question 19

When should we apply to extend a Swedish work permit?

Accepted Answer

Before the current permit ends; you can apply up to two months early. If the application is in before the expiry date, the employee may keep working while it is decided; after it, they may not work while they wait and the application can be refused. Settio opens the extension steps months ahead so it never comes down to the last week.

Question 20

Can an employee's family move to Sweden with them?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A partner and children can apply for residence permits as family members. Under the rules from 1 October 2026 the worker must usually show they can support the family: a set amount must be left each month after tax and rent. Filing the family's applications together with the work permit keeps everyone on one timeline.

Question 21

What does a new international employee need to do after arriving in Sweden?

Accepted Answer

Register with the Swedish Tax Agency (folkbokföring) to get a personnummer, then an ID card and BankID, a bank account, and healthcare. Each step unlocks the next, so the order matters.

Question 22

How do I keep track of all our employees' work permits and expiry dates?

Accepted Answer

Keep every permit holder in one register with permit type, expiry, salary terms and the next action, and get reminders well before each date. A spreadsheet works for a handful of people; beyond that, dates and salary changes slip.

Question 23

Can someone work in Sweden on a business trip without a work permit?

Accepted Answer

Some short work is exempt, such as attending meetings or some short assignments, but most productive work for a Swedish employer needs a permit. The exemptions are narrow, so check the specific case before the trip.

Question 24

How do I build a compliant international relocation programme?

Accepted Answer

Give every case the same plan per country, one owner per step, documents checked before filing, and monitoring after arrival for salary, expiry and job changes. Most compliance failures happen after approval, not before, so the programme has to continue for as long as people hold permits.

Question 25

What are the penalties for employers who get work permits wrong in Sweden?

Accepted Answer

An employer who employs someone without a right to stay or the required work permit pays a special fee (särskild avgift) of twice the price base amount per person, or four times if it went on for more than three months, and can also face criminal liability. The employee can lose the permit and be asked to leave, which is often the bigger cost to the business.

Question 26

What is kompetensutvisning and how do we prevent it?

Accepted Answer

Kompetensutvisning is the Swedish term for skilled workers losing their permit, often over small past mistakes in salary, insurance or advertising the job. It is prevented by checking terms against the permit every month, not only at extension time.

Question 27

How do we choose immigration and relocation software for our HR team?

Accepted Answer

Ask the vendor to run one real case for your main destination live: the plan, the documents, who files in the official e-service, what happens after approval, and how the employee is kept informed. Then check data location, the data processing agreement and the price per case.

Question 28

What does it cost to relocate an employee to Sweden?

Accepted Answer

The main costs are the permit application fee, travel and temporary housing, any relocation allowance, and the time HR spends on the case or the fee of an outside provider. The application fee is set by the Swedish Migration Agency; the internal time is where most of the cost hides.

Question 29

Which KPIs should HR track for international relocation?

Accepted Answer

Time from accepted offer to permit decision, the share of applications filed complete the first time, start dates met, permits expiring in the next 90 days, and salary months below the permit terms. Together they show speed, quality and risk.

Question 30

How should HR handle employees' immigration data under GDPR?

Accepted Answer

Collect only what the permit needs, store it in the EU with access limited to the people on the case, keep it only as long as the law requires, and sign a data processing agreement with every tool that holds it. Passports and identity numbers deserve extra protection.

Question 31

How fast can we hire someone from outside the EU into Sweden or Europe?

Accepted Answer

The authority's decision time sets the pace, so speed comes from filing a complete application on the first try and preparing the move while the decision is pending. Delays mostly come from missing documents and terms that do not match the permit.

Question 32

What is the risk of losing a key employee over a work permit problem?

Accepted Answer

It is real and usually avoidable. Permits are lost over salary or insurance below the terms, late extensions or job changes without a new permit, often discovered only at extension time. Checking terms every month removes most of the risk.

Question 33

Is immigration software worth it for a growing company?

Accepted Answer

Once a company moves more than a handful of people a year, yes: the cost of one delayed start or one lost permit is far higher than the software. The return comes from fewer hours per case, applications filed complete the first time, and no surprises at extension.

Question 34

Which European country is easiest for hiring international talent?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the role and the salary. Most EU countries offer the EU Blue Card for highly qualified people, each with its own salary level, and several have national fast tracks for skilled workers or trusted employers. Compare salary levels, decision times and family rules for your roles.

Question 35

Should we use an EU Blue Card or a national work permit?

Accepted Answer

The EU Blue Card suits highly qualified roles with a higher salary and gives easier moves within the EU later; a national work permit has a lower salary level and fewer requirements. In Sweden the Blue Card needs 53,625 SEK a month against 34,470 SEK for a work permit.

Question 36

How do we hire software developers from outside the EU?

Accepted Answer

Most developers qualify for the EU Blue Card or a national skilled-worker permit. Some countries set a lower Blue Card level for IT specialists: Germany's is €45,934 a year against €50,700 for other roles. Make the offer meet the level, then file a complete application.

Question 37

What security should an immigration platform have?

Accepted Answer

EU data storage, encryption of identity numbers and credentials beyond the database's own, hashed tokens and API keys, access per case, an audit log, rate limits on public endpoints, and no passports sent to AI models. Ask for the security page, the DPA and the subprocessor list.

Question 38

Can immigration software integrate with our ATS or HRIS?

Accepted Answer

It should, so a case starts from an accepted offer instead of retyping. Settio connects to Teamtailor, Greenhouse, BambooHR, Personio, HiBob and Slack, and offers API keys and webhooks for the rest.

Question 39

Is it safe to use AI on passports and immigration documents?

Accepted Answer

Passports and ID cards can be read from their machine-readable zone without AI, which is both safer and exact. AI is useful for checking other documents against the requirements and flagging gaps, as long as a person decides and the AI result is labelled.

Question 40

What case management software do immigration advisers use?

Accepted Answer

Advisers need a plan per case built from each country's rules, document checks before filing, deadline tracking, a client and employee portal, and an audit trail. General practice-management tools store files; immigration software knows the steps.

Question 41

How can we keep up with immigration rule changes across countries?

Accepted Answer

Follow the authorities' own pages, date every fact you rely on, and check which open cases a change affects. Changes to salary levels, fees and family rules are the most frequent.

Question 42

Can one tool handle immigration cases for many countries?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if each case shows only its own country's steps, terms and sources. Settio covers Sweden, Germany, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Norway and United Arab Emirates in depth, with starter plans for the rest of the EU, the EEA, Switzerland and the Gulf.

Question 43

How do we avoid requests for more documents from the immigration authority?

Accepted Answer

Check every document against the route's requirements and against each other before filing: names and dates must match, passports must be valid for the period, and the offer must meet the salary and terms. Most requests for more come from small mismatches.

Question 44

What software do relocation agencies use?

Accepted Answer

Relocation agencies use software that plans each client's permit and move, collects documents from employees, tracks deadlines across clients, and bills per case or milestone. Settio is built for this, for agencies in Europe and the Gulf.

Question 45

How can we stop chasing employees and clients for documents?

Accepted Answer

Give each person one link with their own next steps and uploads, in their language, with automatic reminders. Chasing comes from long emails and unclear asks; a personal checklist replaces both.

Question 46

How should a relocation agency bill clients for immigration cases?

Accepted Answer

Most agencies bill per case, per milestone or per monitored permit holder. Billing at milestones (application filed, decision, arrival) ties invoices to progress the client can see.

Question 47

Can a relocation agency offer permit monitoring as a service?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Clients pay for someone to watch salary terms, expiry dates and job changes for their permit holders, and agencies bill it monthly per holder. It turns one-off cases into recurring revenue.

Question 48

How much does relocation agency software cost?

Accepted Answer

Settio charges agencies per case they open, with every feature and unlimited consultants on every plan; the first real case and practice cases are free, and there is a 30-day trial without a card. It costs about 5 to 10% of what an agency charges per case.

Question 49

Which insurances does a Swedish work permit require?

Accepted Answer

The employer must have health, life, security (trygghetsförsäkring) and occupational pension insurance at the level of the collective agreement or what is usual in the industry, in place when the employment starts. From 1 June 2026, someone staying a year or less must also have, or have applied for, comprehensive health insurance valid in Sweden.

Question 50

Do EU citizens need a work permit to work in Sweden?

Accepted Answer

No. Citizens of EU and EEA countries and Switzerland can work in Sweden without a permit, and Nordic citizens have the simplest route of all. Someone staying a year or longer registers with the Swedish Tax Agency to get a personnummer.

Question 51

Can an employee start working before the work permit is granted?

Accepted Answer

Not on a first permit: the person needs a granted permit before starting work. For an extension filed before the current permit ends, they can usually keep working while it is decided.

Question 52

Do we have to advertise the job before hiring someone from outside the EU?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The position must be advertised in Sweden and in the EU/EEA and Switzerland for at least ten days before the employment contract is signed. The usual way is the Swedish Public Employment Service's job bank, whose ads also show on EURES; an ad elsewhere must reach as widely.

Question 53

What is the difference between a personnummer and a samordningsnummer?

Accepted Answer

A personnummer is the Swedish personal identity number for people registered as living in Sweden, usually those staying a year or more. A samordningsnummer is a coordination number for people who are not registered, for example on shorter stays, and opens fewer services.

Question 54

What is the expert tax relief (expertskatt) in Sweden?

Accepted Answer

Foreign experts and key people can have 25% of their pay exempt from income tax for 7 years from the start of their stay, and no employer contributions are paid on that share when they are covered by Swedish social insurance. Monthly pay must exceed 88,800 SEK for work starting in 2026, and the application must reach the Taxation of Research Workers Board within three months of starting work.

Question 55

What happens to a work permit when the employee resigns or is let go?

Accepted Answer

The permit is tied to the job, so when the employment ends the person needs a new job and usually a new permit to stay. They may stay three months after the last working day to look for new work, as long as the permit is still valid. An EU Blue Card holder must tell the Swedish Migration Agency the employment has ended.

Question 56

When can a work permit holder get permanent residence in Sweden?

Accepted Answer

After several years on work permits, if the person has worked under terms at the permit level the whole time and meets the other conditions. Gaps in salary or insurance can delay or block it, so monitoring pays off years later.

Question 57

Which nationalities need a work permit in Sweden?

Accepted Answer

Everyone except citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. That includes UK citizens since Brexit, unless they already lived in Sweden under the withdrawal agreement, and citizens of the US, India, China and every other non-EU country.

Question 58

What do we need to post an employee to Sweden from another country?

Accepted Answer

A posted worker stays employed abroad while working in Sweden. Within the EU, an A1 certificate shows which country's social insurance applies, and the posting must be reported to the Swedish Work Environment Authority before the work starts, with a contact person in Sweden. A non-EU citizen also needs a permit, such as an intra-company transfer permit.

Question 59

Do we need an immigration lawyer to hire from abroad?

Accepted Answer

Not for most standard cases: employers file work permits themselves in the official e-service. Unusual cases, refusals and appeals benefit from an adviser. A good process and the right tools cover the routine work and show when a case needs an expert.

Question 60

Should we run relocation in-house or outsource it to an agency?

Accepted Answer

In-house works when HR has a clear process and tools for the main destinations; an agency adds value for new countries, complex family cases or high volume. Many companies keep the routine in-house and use an agency for the rest.

Question 61

Does an Employer of Record remove the need for a work permit?

Accepted Answer

No. Someone from outside the EU still needs a work permit; with an Employer of Record, that company becomes the employer on the permit and has to meet the salary and terms. It changes who employs the person, not the immigration rules.

Question 62

How do we hire nurses or doctors from outside the EU?

Accepted Answer

Healthcare staff need both a work permit and a licence to practise from the national authority, which usually means language skills and recognition of their training. Plan the licence early: it often takes longer than the permit.

Question 63

How do work permits work in the United Arab Emirates?

Accepted Answer

In the UAE the employer sponsors the work permit through the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, then the residence visa and Emirates ID follow through Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). After arrival come the medical test, biometrics and health insurance.

Question 64

How do seasonal work permits work in Sweden?

Accepted Answer

Seasonal work, work that can only be done in part of the year, such as in agriculture, horticulture, hotels and restaurants or tourism, has its own permit for up to nine months in a twelve-month period. Pay must be at least the lowest full-time wage under the collective agreement, and the worker must rent or own housing of a suitable standard.

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