The Migration Agency helpline
Your first port of call is the Migration Agency helpline, which you can reach on 0771235235 between 9am and 3pm Monday to Friday (remember to add the country code +46 if calling from outside Sweden). The Migration Agency's Facebook page also has a Question of the Week, or veckans fråga section, which often deals with trickier questions not covered in full in the Q&A's on the agency's website.
Some applicants, however, report that the information from the helpline can give misleading or conflicting advice, so it is advisable to seek additional help.
Facebook groups representing applicants
Another excellent source of initial advice would be to go on one or more of the thriving Facebook groups in Sweden representing people with immigration questions and issues – although be aware that not all of the information will be accurate.
Some of the busiest groups are Sweden Work Permit & Permanent + citizenship, Bli Svensk medborgare, Uppehållstillstånd och svenskt medborgarskap, and Work Permit Holders in Sweden.
If your issue is linked to your citizenship then you can also try looking for specific groups for people of your nationality in Sweden. Brits in Sweden, a forum for British citizens dealing with the continuing fallout from the UK leaving the European Union, has some very knowledgeable members. Indians in Sweden hosts a helpful community who share advice on work permits, Blue Cards, and other aspects of labour immigration to Sweden.
How to find a lawyer
The best place to start is the Swedish Bar Association, which maintains a directory on its website of all law firms employing members. These include 331 firms which specialise in migration law and 274 firms who specialise in asylum law.
You can narrow your search down by city, for example there are 93 firms specialising in migration law in Stockholm, 45 in Gothenburg, and 31 in Malmö.
It's generally better if the lawyer you speak to is an advokat, someone who is a member of the Swedish Bar Association, rather than a jurist, which describes anyone with a law degree.
The Local cannot recommend individual immigration lawyers, but the law firms below were recommended by our readers or by members of one of the Facebook groups above:
Abreu Gunnarsson Juridik, H I Juristbyrå, Edelweiss Legal, MotiveraRätt, Lind Juristbyrå, Prima Law, Advokat Emma Persson, Juridik i Skåne och Blekinge, Adam Law, Juristfirman Söder, Simon Advokatbyrå, Möllers Juridik, Advokatfirman Staifo, Elmzell Advokatbyrå, Vedette Legal, Fridh Advokatbyrå.
What about the relocation companies?
If you have been hired by a large Swedish company, they may well use a relocation company such as Key Relocation, Nordic Relocation Group, Human Entrance, or Nimmersion, or the immigration practice of a major accounting firm such as Deloitte or EY.
If they do, you should make full use of the services they offer. You can sometimes hire one of these firms yourself, but generally they work with corporate clients.
What non-governmental organisations and campaigning law firms can help?
Sweden has several public interest law firms which take on immigration cases when there is a principle of justice at stake.
The most active of these, historically, has been Centrum för Rättvisa, started by Sweden's current justice minister, Gunnar Strömmer, which has won some landmark work-permit cases. You can report your case to them by filling in their online form here.
Människorättsadvokaterna is a firm that takes on migration cases with a strong human rights angle, and, like Centrum för Rättvisa, has had several significant court victories.
The non-governmental organisations offering free help in migration cases focus pretty much exclusively on asylum cases and on asylum-related family reunion cases. They offer free advice and support and even in some cases offer lawyers who will take a case to court.
The Swedish Refugee Law Centre, Asylrättscentrum, only helps people who are already in Sweden and who are seeking a residency permit on the basis of asylum or other forms of protection, family reunion, or impediment to enforcement. You can contact them by email or on 0200880066 between 9am and 11am.
The Swedish Red Cross offers legal counselling and trauma support for refugees and migrants, both in asylum cases and in family reunion cases. You can contact them with the form here.
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