"Reforming the rules around labour migration is an important part of the government's paradigm shift in the migration area," the country's migration minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, said in a press release.
The proposal has been sent to the country's Council on Legislation (Lagrådet). "
"This proposal is an important step in the work to improve and ease the conditions for these people," Stenergard said.
Sending new legislation to the Council on Legislation is the final stage before the government submits a new law to parliament.
What is the EU Blue Card, and how has it been used in Sweden?
The EU Blue Card is a combined residency permit and work permit for highly qualified, highly skilled workers from outside the EEA, which brings holders some of the rights enjoyed by EU citizens, which are not enjoyed by normal work permit holders.
The EU Blue Card has historically been far less popular in Sweden than in countries such as Germany, primarily because Sweden's work permit system has until recently been relatively liberal, and the requirements for a work permit have been much lower than those for a Blue Card.
What is the the reason for the new Blue Card Directive?
The EU's new Blue Card Directive was passed by the European Council and EU Parliament back in November 2021, replacing the earlier 2009 directive, and should have been transposed into national law by November 18th 2023 -- meaning that Sweden is already nearly nine months late.
The aim of the new directive is to simplify the procedures and qualifying criteria for getting a Blue Card, hopefully making it more popular and as a result making it easier for the EU to attract high-skilled labour.
How will the new rules change the requirements?
The new rules will reduce the salary threshold to be eligible for an EU Blue Card from 1.5 times the average monthly salary in Sweden to 1.25 times the average monthly salary.
At today's levels, this reduces the required salary from a fairly high 59,850 kronor a month (€5,200) to a more easily achievable 49,875 kronor (€4,300).
Under the EU directive member states can set the threshold at anywhere between 1 and 1.6 times the average salary, meaning Sweden has chosen to be relatively generous.
The threshold nonetheless remains significantly higher than the 28,480 kronor (80 percent of Sweden's median salary) currently required to qualify for a standard work permit.
The new directive also makes it easier for people who have a residency and work permit in Sweden on other grounds to switch to the EU Blue Card.
It means that Blue Card holders who change job after arriving in Sweden will no longer have to apply for a new EU Blue Card.
It allows anyone who has been granted an EU Blue Card by another EU state to enter Sweden and work for 90 days out of every 180 days.
It also simplifies the procedure for anyone who has held an EU Blue Card in another EU country for more than 12 months to apply for an EU Blue Card in Sweden.
When will the new law come into force?
The government wants the new law to come into force on January 1st 2025. This means it will come into force one year and one month after the EU's deadline.
What has the government said about the delay?
In a statement, Richard Wahlström, the press spokesperson for Malmer Stenergard, put the delay down to the sheer number of ongoing reforms to migration policy being driven through by the government.
"The government is now carrying out a number of significant reforms on migration policy, and we have presented proposals for population registration due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine," he told The Local in a written statement.
"Unfortunately, this has meant that it has taken a little longer to progress with this product. It is an important issue for the government to promote highly qualified labor immigration. We are therefore pleased to now move forward on this important issue."
He said that EU Commission had sent a formal notification to Sweden about the delayed implementation of the directive, to which Sweden has responded.
"We will see how the Commission chooses to handle the case, but our ambition is to get the changes to the law into effect as soon as possible, which, taking into account the procedural work of the Swedish Parliament (Riksdagen) is estimated to be January 1st, 2025."
Emma Löfgren, Editor, The Local Sweden
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