Sweden's new work permit salary set to affect '10-20 percent of applicants'
Up to around one fifth of all work permit applicants are expected to fall short of Sweden’s new salary requirement, according to the Migration Agency. But many details are still unclear, including when it will actually come into force.
How much a foreigner has to earn to be eligible for a work permit will soon be raised from a salary of 13,000 kronor a month to 27,360 kronor, the Migration Agency said in a new press release.
The government originally planned for the new rules to come into force next month, but the date has now been changed to November 1st, although this is just a target date as the government has yet to make a formal decision.
UPDATED:
The new salary requirement is set to 80 percent of Sweden’s median salary as announced by Statistics Sweden’s yearly updates. The median salary was raised to 34,200 kronor this summer, which is why the 27,360 kronor requirement is higher than what was announced in spring. That's the minimum requirement – the salary also needs to be in line with industry standards or collective bargaining agreements.
“Our assessment is that around 10-20 percent of those who apply for work permits will not reach the new salary requirement and will be directly affected,” a Migration Agency lawyer said in the press release.
Going forward, the salary requirement will be based on Statistics Sweden’s last published median salary at the time a work permit application is submitted. This is updated every year, most recently June 20th, and can be found here.
It is however not yet clear whether the implementation of the new rules will apply retroactively to people who apply for a work permit before November 1st 2023, but who haven't received an answer on their application by then.
A Migration Agency spokesperson told The Local on Monday that they were still looking into how to apply the new rules, specifically how they might affect various groups and those with pending applications.
The new rules will also affect work permit holders who apply to renew their permit, meaning that the most recently published median salary will determine the salary requirement for the renewed permit. So if you received a work permit under the old 13,000 kronor threshold a couple of years ago, you will have to earn more than 27,360 kronor to be eligible for a work permit extension from November 1st.
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How much a foreigner has to earn to be eligible for a work permit will soon be raised from a salary of 13,000 kronor a month to 27,360 kronor, the Migration Agency said in a new press release.
The government originally planned for the new rules to come into force next month, but the date has now been changed to November 1st, although this is just a target date as the government has yet to make a formal decision.
UPDATED:
The new salary requirement is set to 80 percent of Sweden’s median salary as announced by Statistics Sweden’s yearly updates. The median salary was raised to 34,200 kronor this summer, which is why the 27,360 kronor requirement is higher than what was announced in spring. That's the minimum requirement – the salary also needs to be in line with industry standards or collective bargaining agreements.
“Our assessment is that around 10-20 percent of those who apply for work permits will not reach the new salary requirement and will be directly affected,” a Migration Agency lawyer said in the press release.
Going forward, the salary requirement will be based on Statistics Sweden’s last published median salary at the time a work permit application is submitted. This is updated every year, most recently June 20th, and can be found here.
It is however not yet clear whether the implementation of the new rules will apply retroactively to people who apply for a work permit before November 1st 2023, but who haven't received an answer on their application by then.
A Migration Agency spokesperson told The Local on Monday that they were still looking into how to apply the new rules, specifically how they might affect various groups and those with pending applications.
The new rules will also affect work permit holders who apply to renew their permit, meaning that the most recently published median salary will determine the salary requirement for the renewed permit. So if you received a work permit under the old 13,000 kronor threshold a couple of years ago, you will have to earn more than 27,360 kronor to be eligible for a work permit extension from November 1st.
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