Swedish Work Permit: 20 Questions HR Teams Ask Most

On this page · 9 sections

Application basics
Salary and conditions
Employer obligations
Job and role changes
Family and dependants
Refusals and problems
Long-term planning
How Settio keeps permits on track
Sources

Application basics

1. Who submits the work permit application, the employer or the employee?

Both take part. The employer starts the application in Migrationsverket's e-service for employers by entering the employment details. The employee then gets a link by email, completes their part, attaches their documents (including the signed employment agreement) and submits. The application is only registered once the employee has submitted it.

2. Can the employee start working before the permit is approved?

Not on a first permit: a first-time applicant applies from outside Sweden and waits for the decision. For an extension, an employee who applied before the current permit expired, and has held the permit for at least six months, can keep working for the employer while waiting. Someone changing employer who applied before the old permit expired can start the new job while the application is processed.

3. How far in advance should HR start the permit process?

For extensions, the application can be made no more than two months before the current permit expires and must be registered before it expires, so prepare the documents before that window opens. For new hires, allow for at least ten days of advertising, the contract, and processing: 75% of recent complete applications were decided within 1 month for highly qualified work and within 4 months for other employment.

4. Is there a fee?

Yes, and the applicant pays it to Migrationsverket when submitting. A work permit as an employee costs SEK 2,200, for a first application and for an extension. An EU Blue Card costs SEK 2,000. Adult family members pay SEK 1,500 and children SEK 750. Fees are not refunded if the application is rejected.

Salary and conditions

5. What is the minimum salary for a Swedish work permit?

Since 1 June 2026 a first-time work permit needs at least 90% of the median salary: SEK 34,470 a month since 16 June 2026. Listed occupations and groups need 75% of the median instead. Pay and terms must also be at least on par with Swedish collective agreements or customary terms, which can be higher. The EU Blue Card requires at least SEK 53,625 a month.

6. Can bonuses or allowances count toward the minimum salary?

Migrationsverket counts the regular pay for the work, plus recurring overtime or inconvenient-hours pay if the contract states it. Benefits such as free food or housing do not count. Two or more jobs cannot be combined to meet the requirements.

7. What happens if the employee gets a pay cut?

At an extension, Migrationsverket checks that the terms were met throughout the permit period, so pay below the requirements can lead to a refusal. Employers that have been given a reporting duty in the permit decision must report worsened terms in writing within one month of them starting to apply. A change in working conditions can also mean a new application is needed.

Employer obligations

8. Does HR need to do anything after the permit is granted?

Yes. Check the permit and keep a copy, and notify Skatteverket that you employ a third-country national by the end of the third month after the month the employment started (form SKV 1160). Keep the agreed salary and the four insurances in place, answer Migrationsverket's follow-up checks, and tell Migrationsverket if the employment has not started within four months of the permit being granted.

9. What must HR do if a permit holder leaves the company?

Keep the copy of the residence permit for 12 months after the employment ends. Migrationsverket's employer guidance does not set a general duty for the employer to report that a permit holder has left; an EU Blue Card holder must report it themselves. The employee may stay for three months after the last working day to look for new work, as long as the permit is valid.

10. Can the employee work for a different employer while the permit is valid?

Not without a new application. The permit applies to the employer and occupation in the decision, and a new employer needs a new application. After two years on a work permit, a new application is needed only if the occupation changes.

Job and role changes

11. What if the employee gets promoted?

Migrationsverket's pages do not cover promotions as such. What matters is whether the new role is a new occupation or entirely new duties: if so, a new application is needed before the current permit expires.

12. What if the employee wants to move to a different employer in Sweden?

The new employer starts a new work permit application, after advertising the job in Sweden, the EU/EEA and Switzerland. If the application is made before the current permit expires, the employee can start working for the new employer while it is processed.

13. Can an employee on an EU Blue Card change employers?

Yes, but they must report the change to Migrationsverket, and the new job must also meet the EU Blue Card requirements. Not reporting a change can lead to a refusal or revocation.

Family and dependants

14. Can the employee bring their family to Sweden?

Yes. A spouse, registered partner, cohabiting partner and children under 21 can apply together with the employee, or apply later with their own application. The employee must meet a maintenance requirement for the family, and from 1 October 2026 it is also checked at extension.

15. Can the employee's spouse work in Sweden?

Yes. Adult family members, and children who turn at least 16 during the year, may work.

Refusals and problems

16. What gets an application refused?

Not meeting a requirement: for example pay below the salary floor or the collective agreement level, missing insurances, or an advertisement that did not run for ten days. Migrationsverket can refuse quickly when a requirement is clearly not met, and since 1 June 2026 it can also refuse because of the employer's own record, such as certain crimes or sanctions.

17. Can a refusal be appealed?

Yes. The appeal is sent to Migrationsverket, which forwards it to the migration court. The deadline is stated in the decision; an appeal that arrives too late is dismissed.

18. If the application is refused, can the employee re-apply?

A new application is a new case and must meet every requirement on its own. Keep in mind that a first-time applicant applies from outside Sweden.

Long-term planning

19. When can an employee apply for permanent residence?

After holding a work permit for at least four years, having worked in Sweden for four of the past seven years, with the other requirements (support and a well-behaved life) met. Since 11 June 2026, three consecutive years with a Swedish EU Blue Card or a research permit can also qualify.

20. When can an employee apply for Swedish citizenship?

After 8 years of living in Sweden, under the rules in force since 6 June 2026 (it used to be 5). Some people need fewer years: 7 for someone married to or living with a Swedish citizen (after living together for five years), and 2 for Nordic citizens. Time abroad of more than six weeks in a year is taken off the count in full. The Citizenship Countdown works out the exact date.

How Settio keeps permits on track

Most permit problems start with a date or a salary nobody was watching. Settio helps employers and immigration agencies watch both, for every person, before they move, after they arrive and at every renewal:

Permit and salary monitoring tracks every expiry date and the salary each permit was granted on, and turns a dip or a missing month into a follow-up step with an owner.
Plans for every case, from the first application to the extension, with each deadline counted for you.
Your whole international workforce at a glance: import the people already on permits and see their risks in minutes.

Try it with your own people: see plans and start for free.

Sources

13 official sources

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