Sweden's New Work Permit Rules (June 2026): What Non-EU Hires and Employers Must Know

Sweden changed its labour migration rules on 1 June 2026 (government bill Prop. 2025/26:87). For anyone hiring from outside the EU/EEA, four things matter most: a higher salary floor, a short list of jobs that no longer qualify, stricter checks on employers, and a transition period that ends on 1 December 2026.

1. The salary requirement is now 90% of the median salary

From 1 June 2026 a work permit requires a monthly salary of at least 90% of the median salary published by Statistics Sweden (SCB). Under the old rules the level was 80%. For applications received from 16 June 2026 that is SEK 34,470 a month (median SEK 38,300). Applications received before 16 June used the previous median of SEK 37,100, which gave SEK 33,390.

The salary must also be at least what the collective agreement or the occupation normally pays. Meeting the 90% floor is not enough if the market rate for the role is higher. Check a specific salary with our free salary threshold checker.

Level	Monthly salary (from 16 June 2026)	Applies to
Standard work permit	SEK 34,470 (90% of median)	Most first-time permits
Exempted occupations and groups	75% of median (SEK 28,725 at the current median)	See the list below
EU Blue Card	SEK 53,625 (from 15 July 2026)	Highly qualified jobs

2. Who is exempt from the 90% level?

A lower level of 75% of the median applies to some occupations and some groups of people.

• Occupations: several IT operations and support roles (SSYK 3511 to 3514), assistant nurses and care assistants (5321 to 5326, 5330), welders (7212), butchers (7611) and a number of agricultural, forestry and machine-operator roles. Migrationsverket publishes the full list of SSYK codes.
• Groups: students and researchers with a Swedish residence permit applying for their first work permit, people with temporary protection (for two years, or until the permit expires if that is later), doctors, dentists and nurses with foreign qualifications who are getting Swedish certification, and staff of some start-up tech or life-science companies (under five years old, under 100 employees).

Check the SSYK code of the role before you assume an exemption applies. Exemptions follow the government's list of codes, not the job title. When extending, check that the occupation is still on the list.

3. Jobs that no longer qualify

Work permits are no longer granted for personal assistants (SSYK 5343) or forest berry pickers. Other roles in the berry pickers and planters group (SSYK 9210) can still get a permit.

4. Health insurance for shorter stays

Employees whose employment lasts one year or less must have comprehensive health insurance that covers the whole stay. People who are not registered in the population register pay the full cost of public healthcare. Our guide to healthcare and social insurance after moving explains why.

5. Stricter checks on the employer

• Migrationsverket can refuse a permit if the employer is reasonably suspected or convicted of certain serious crimes, has been charged a special fee (särskild avgift) for employing someone without a permit, or has been penalised for giving incorrect information to the tax authorities about work.
• That special fee has doubled. It is now 2 price base amounts per worker, or 4 if the violation lasted more than three months.
• Two new crimes, exploiting foreign labour and trading in work permits, carry up to two years in prison, or six months to four years if the crime is gross.
• Seasonal and intra-corporate transfer (ICT) permits must pay at least the collective agreement minimum. Seasonal permits can now last up to nine months in any twelve.

6. Fewer permits withdrawn over small mistakes (kompetensutvisning)

The 2026 bill also reduces kompetensutvisning ("talent deportation"): permits withdrawn or extensions refused over minor employer mistakes. Migrationsverket no longer has to withdraw a permit in minor cases, or where withdrawal would not be reasonable. Whether the mistake was corrected is one factor in an overall assessment. Mistakes made to abuse the rules are never treated as minor. Keeping payroll and insurances right every month is still the safest approach. See our kompetensutvisning guide for the background.

7. Extensions: the transition ends on 1 December 2026

People whose permit was granted under the old rules are assessed under the old salary rule if their extension application is registered with Migrationsverket by 1 December 2026. Extensions registered after that must meet the 90% level. HR teams should list every employee whose permit expires in the first half of 2027 and check whether their salary meets 90%. Where the salary is between 80% and 90%, plan either a raise or an earlier extension.

8. Family members: new rules from 1 October 2026

New family reunification rules took effect on 1 October 2026: a higher maintenance requirement, which now also applies to extensions, and for extensions the family member's own income can normally be counted too. The new two-year residence requirement for sponsors does not apply to people with a work permit, EU Blue Card or ICT permit. They are covered by other rules. Migrationsverket has separate guidance for the families of workers, so check the current amounts before the family applies. Family members of an employee are granted a permit to work while they have their residence permit.

9. What is proposed for 2027

In July 2026 the government published a proposal to the Council on Legislation (lagrådsremiss) that would end the tie between a work permit and one employer and occupation. Changing jobs would only need a notification to Migrationsverket when a job ends and a new one starts. People who have held a work permit for more than two years would get up to six months to find new work if they become unemployed. The planned start is 1 February 2027. It is a proposal, not law, and the details may change.

What HR should do now

1. Check every open offer against SEK 34,470 and the collective agreement or market rate. Write the SSYK code on the offer.
2. List employees on old-rule permits with salaries under 90% and plan their extensions before 1 December 2026.
3. Make sure employees on permits of a year or less have comprehensive health insurance from day one.
4. Check that your company's tax filings and records are clean. They now count in the permit decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum salary for a Swedish work permit in 2026?

For applications received from 16 June 2026 it is SEK 34,470 a month, which is 90% of SCB's median salary. Exempted occupations and groups need 75% of the median. The salary must also match the collective agreement or what is normal in the occupation. The level changes each June when the new median is published.

Does the 90% rule apply to my existing employees?

Not straight away. Holders of permits granted under the old rules are assessed under the old salary rule if their extension application is registered by 1 December 2026. Extensions registered after that must meet the 90% level.

Which jobs can no longer get a Swedish work permit?

Since 1 June 2026, personal assistants and forest berry pickers. Other roles in the berry pickers and planters group can still get a permit.

Will Swedish work permits stop being tied to one employer?

A proposal planned for 1 February 2027 would replace the employer tie with a duty to notify Migrationsverket of a change of job. It was not law when we checked. Until it is, your permit applies to the employer and occupation named in your decision.

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.

Sources

8 official sources

• Migrationsverket: Salary requirements for a work permit
• Migrationsverket: New median salary affects the salary requirement (16 June 2026)
• Riksdagen: Prop. 2025/26:87 Nya regler för arbetskraftsinvandring
• Migrationsverket: Work permits for employees (insurance, excluded occupations)
• Migrationsverket: New rules for family members from 1 October 2026
• Migrationsverket: Residence permits for family of someone with a permit to work
• Migrationsverket: Changing employer or occupation
• Regeringen: Lagrådsremiss on permits and job changes (July 2026)