On November 1st last year the minimum salary that applicants need to earn in order to be eligible for a Swedish work permit was raised to 80 percent of Sweden's median salary. At the time the median salary was 34,200 kronor a month, giving a salary threshold of 27,360 kronor.
But in an update on June 18th, the median salary was pushed up to 35,600 kronor.
This means work permit applicants (including both first-time applications and extensions) applying on this date or later will need to earn a total of 28,480 kronor a month in order to qualify for a work permit.
The median salary is announced in Statistics Sweden’s yearly updates, so it changes every year.
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Salaries also need to be in line with industry standards or collective bargaining agreements to qualify for a work permit.
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, so the new figure will not affect work permit applications which are already in process, but it will affect any new applications or renewals submitted on or after June 18th, 2024.
Are there any plans to raise the salary threshold further?
Yes. The government plans to raise the work permit threshold for new permits to 100 percent of the median salary at the time of application, with exemptions for some categories of workers.
This is currently going through the consultation stage (remiss) of the legislative process, which means it is not yet a firm proposal. If it does go ahead, the proposed starting date is June 1st, 2025.
There would be a one-year grace period for work permit renewals: the current rule (80 percent of the median salary) would continue to apply for any applications for extensions submitted to the Migration Agency by June 1st 2026 at the latest.
Do you have any questions for The Local about Sweden's work permit salary threshold? Please comment under this article and we'll try to help.
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