Reader question: Can I meet Sweden's new work permit threshold by working multiple jobs?
Sweden's work permit salary requirement will on November 1st be raised from 13,000 kronor to more than 27,000 kronor. But here's why you can't boost your earnings by picking up a second job on the side.
What’s changing on November 1st?
From November 1st, the minimum salary that applicants need to earn in order to be eligible for a Swedish work permit will be raised from 13,000 kronor a month to 27,360 kronor, after the government just before the end of September formally pushed through the change.
The new salary requirement is set to 80 percent of Sweden’s median salary as announced by Statistics Sweden’s yearly updates, so it will change every year. It also needs to be in line with industry standards or collective bargaining agreements, so 27,360 kronor is just the minimum.
It's the most recently published median salary at the time of your application (not the time of a decision) that will determine how much you need to earn in order to be eligible for a work permit.
According to Statistics Sweden, they most recently updated the median salary on June 20th, 2023. So if you applied before then, your application should be assessed according to the previous median salary, or in other words you need to earn at least 26,560 kronor a month.
Can I meet the new Swedish work permit threshold by working multiple jobs?
No.
The work permit system is built in such a way that you apply for a work permit based on a specific job, rather than based on your take home pay as a whole.
When you apply for a work permit, you need to prove that you have a job offer that fulfills all the requirements of a Swedish work permit by itself – so not just the salary requirement, but also other requirements, such as having the required insurance and proof that the application is equal or better than that offered by a collective bargaining agreement or other industry standards, if there is no collective agreement.
Even if you manage to get two job offers which would give you a combined salary over the limit, any application to get a work permit with either of these job offers would be rejected, as they are looked at individually rather than as a shared package. You will only be offered a work permit if you have a job which fulfills all the requirements by itself.
In addition to this, under Sweden's work permit rules, you're not allowed to pick up a second job on the side if you already have a work permit, so you can't go down this route if you already work in Sweden but your current job doesn't meet the new requirements, for example.
You can start your own business alongside working as an employee somewhere else, but any income from this business will not be included in the salary calculations when the Migration Agency determines whether you earn enough to be granted a work permit or work permit extension.
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What’s changing on November 1st?
From November 1st, the minimum salary that applicants need to earn in order to be eligible for a Swedish work permit will be raised from 13,000 kronor a month to 27,360 kronor, after the government just before the end of September formally pushed through the change.
The new salary requirement is set to 80 percent of Sweden’s median salary as announced by Statistics Sweden’s yearly updates, so it will change every year. It also needs to be in line with industry standards or collective bargaining agreements, so 27,360 kronor is just the minimum.
It's the most recently published median salary at the time of your application (not the time of a decision) that will determine how much you need to earn in order to be eligible for a work permit.
According to Statistics Sweden, they most recently updated the median salary on June 20th, 2023. So if you applied before then, your application should be assessed according to the previous median salary, or in other words you need to earn at least 26,560 kronor a month.
Can I meet the new Swedish work permit threshold by working multiple jobs?
No.
The work permit system is built in such a way that you apply for a work permit based on a specific job, rather than based on your take home pay as a whole.
When you apply for a work permit, you need to prove that you have a job offer that fulfills all the requirements of a Swedish work permit by itself – so not just the salary requirement, but also other requirements, such as having the required insurance and proof that the application is equal or better than that offered by a collective bargaining agreement or other industry standards, if there is no collective agreement.
Even if you manage to get two job offers which would give you a combined salary over the limit, any application to get a work permit with either of these job offers would be rejected, as they are looked at individually rather than as a shared package. You will only be offered a work permit if you have a job which fulfills all the requirements by itself.
In addition to this, under Sweden's work permit rules, you're not allowed to pick up a second job on the side if you already have a work permit, so you can't go down this route if you already work in Sweden but your current job doesn't meet the new requirements, for example.
You can start your own business alongside working as an employee somewhere else, but any income from this business will not be included in the salary calculations when the Migration Agency determines whether you earn enough to be granted a work permit or work permit extension.
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