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Why HR gets asked about family visas
When a new international hire joins a Swedish company, one of the first questions they ask HR is often: "Can my family come with me?" The answer involves Migrationsverket, not the employer directly, but HR teams that understand the process can dramatically improve the employee experience and reduce time-to-productivity.
Who can apply?
For someone with a work permit as an employee, Migrationsverket lists these family members:
- A spouse or registered partner (with a marriage certificate or similar document)
- A cohabiting partner (with documents showing that the couple has lived together)
- Unmarried children under 21. Older children may be approved in certain cases if they depend financially on the parents.
For family of an EU Blue Card holder, an ICT permit holder, a researcher or a self-employed person, children must be under 18. Family members can apply together with the employee, or afterwards.
The maintenance requirement
The employee in Sweden must have an income that lets them support themselves and their family. After tax and housing costs, enough must be left to cover food, clothing, hygiene, phone and insurance. Migrationsverket publishes the amounts that must be left over for an adult, a couple and children of different ages, and child amounts are reduced by child allowance.
- Housing costs (rent, heating and water if not included, fees and interest) count in the calculation. Amortisation does not.
- Unemployment benefits, grants and subsidised employment do not count as income.
Timeline and travel
For family members who apply afterwards, Migrationsverket's page says 75% of recently decided cases were decided within 2 months when the application was complete, and within 11 months when it was not. The figures change, so check before giving the employee a date.
- The residence permit must be granted and issued before the family member enters Sweden. A first application must be made from outside Sweden.
- The family member presents their passport at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general and may be interviewed.
- The fee is SEK 1,500 for an adult and SEK 750 for a child.
- The permit is granted for the same period as the employee's, never longer than the family member's passport.
- Adult family members, and children who turn 16 during the year, may work in Sweden.
What the employer can do
The application is the family's, not the employer's. HR can still help:
- Provide a certificate of employment showing salary, contract type and duration, which the employee can use to show their income.
- Help the employee find suitable housing before the family arrives, since housing costs are part of the maintenance calculation.
- Point the employee to qualified help if the case is complex.
Tracking family permit status
HR teams that track the employee's permit can also note when the family applied. A long wait affects the employee's wellbeing and plans, and HR is well placed to notice. Settio lets HR log family permit milestones alongside the employee's own case.
Key dates to track
- Date the family application was submitted
- Embassy appointment date
- Decision date and permit expiry (it follows the employee's permit)
How Settio helps employers and agencies
Settio helps employers and immigration agencies run every work permit and relocation case in one place, from the first step to the renewal:
- Before the move: a plan for every hire, with each step, owner and deadline counted back from the start date, and documents that check themselves as they come in.
- After arrival: the employee portal shows the new hire their next steps on their phone, in their language, with no account or password.
- For the renewal: permit and salary monitoring tracks every expiry date and flags the extension in good time.
Your first hire is free, and agencies can try a real case for free. See plans and start.
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