Sweden raises work permit salary threshold to almost 30,000 kronor
Statistics Sweden has released fresh median salary figures, pushing up the work permit salary threshold for all new applicants with immediate effect.
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Sweden's median salary rose to 37,100 kronor in 2024, according to new figures posted by Statistics Sweden at 8am on June 17th.
This means there's a new minimum monthly salary non-EU workers have to earn to be eligible for a work permit, as the work permit salary threshold is tied to 80 percent of the median salary. It previously stood at 28,480 kronor before tax, but as of June 17th it's gone up to 29,680 kronor.
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 determines how much you need to earn in order to be eligible for a work permit, so the new figure does not affect applications which are already in progress.
The next median salary update will be published by Statistics Sweden in June 2026.
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 still winding its way through the legislative process, which means it is not yet a done deal. The proposed starting date for the widely criticised proposal was originally June 1st, 2025, but that deadline wasn't met.
Sweden's Migration Minister Johan Forssell told The Local in May that 'no formal decision' has been made on where the final salary threshold will actually end up.
The government in February asked the Migration Agency to present a list of which professions should be exempt from the salary threshold by August 1st, suggesting that the original plan to roll out the new threshold on June 1st will be postponed until at least the autumn.
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This isn't the first time that we've seen an indication that the government hasn't fully committed to raising the threshold to 100 percent of the median salary. In January, Employment Minister Mats Persson said that his party, the Liberals, would even be willing to lower the threshold.
There would be a one-year grace period for work permit renewals, so the current rule (80 percent of the median salary) would continue to apply for any applications for extensions submitted to the Migration Agency for twelve months from the date the law is implemented.
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Local Sweden
5 hours ago
- Local Sweden
Sweden raises work permit salary threshold to almost 30,000 kronor
Statistics Sweden has released fresh median salary figures, pushing up the work permit salary threshold for all new applicants with immediate effect. Advertisement Sweden's median salary rose to 37,100 kronor in 2024, according to new figures posted by Statistics Sweden at 8am on June 17th. This means there's a new minimum monthly salary non-EU workers have to earn to be eligible for a work permit, as the work permit salary threshold is tied to 80 percent of the median salary. It previously stood at 28,480 kronor before tax, but as of June 17th it's gone up to 29,680 kronor. 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 determines how much you need to earn in order to be eligible for a work permit, so the new figure does not affect applications which are already in progress. The next median salary update will be published by Statistics Sweden in June 2026. 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 still winding its way through the legislative process, which means it is not yet a done deal. The proposed starting date for the widely criticised proposal was originally June 1st, 2025, but that deadline wasn't met. Sweden's Migration Minister Johan Forssell told The Local in May that 'no formal decision' has been made on where the final salary threshold will actually end up. The government in February asked the Migration Agency to present a list of which professions should be exempt from the salary threshold by August 1st, suggesting that the original plan to roll out the new threshold on June 1st will be postponed until at least the autumn. Advertisement This isn't the first time that we've seen an indication that the government hasn't fully committed to raising the threshold to 100 percent of the median salary. In January, Employment Minister Mats Persson said that his party, the Liberals, would even be willing to lower the threshold. There would be a one-year grace period for work permit renewals, so the current rule (80 percent of the median salary) would continue to apply for any applications for extensions submitted to the Migration Agency for twelve months from the date the law is implemented.
Local Sweden
a day ago
- Local Sweden
Sweden set to raise work permit salary threshold this week
Sweden's yearly median wage is set to be released on Tuesday, which means the salary threshold for work permit holders is also expected to rise with immediate effect. Advertisement Sweden's number-crunching agency, Statistics Sweden, is expected to release the new median salary figure when it publishes its annual statistics on the Swedish labour market at 8am on June 17th. The Local will publish it as soon as we have it. The median salary currently stands at 35,600 kronor (technically that's the median in the year 2023, and the figure to be released on Tuesday is for the year 2024). In the past five years, it has risen on average 940 kronor every year, with higher increases in recent years, so you can almost certainly expect it to increase on Tuesday as well. Last year the median salary went up by 1,400 kronor. So why does this matter? Well, the work permit salary threshold – the minimum a non-EU foreigner has to earn to be eligible for a work permit – is set at 80 percent of the median salary. That means it is currently 28,480 kronor a month before tax, and it will likely rise on Tuesday. In other words, any work permit applicants (both first-time applications and extensions) applying before June 17th have to earn at least 28,480 kronor a month to qualify. If you apply on June 17th or later, whatever the new figure is will apply to you. Advertisement Salaries also need to be in line with industry standards or collective bargaining agreements, so the salary threshold is only the minimum for work permits. It's the most recently published median salary at the time of your application (not the time of a decision) that determines how much you need to earn in order to be eligible for a work permit, so the new figure will not affect applications already in progress. 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 still winding its way through the legislative process, which means it is not yet a done deal. The proposed starting date for the widely criticised proposal was originally June 1st, 2025, but that deadline wasn't met. Sweden's Migration Minister Johan Forssell told The Local in May that 'no formal decision' has been made on where the final salary threshold will actually end up. Advertisement The government in February asked the Migration Agency to present a list of which professions should be exempt from the salary threshold by August 1st, suggesting that the original plan to roll out the new threshold on June 1st will be postponed until at least the autumn. This isn't the first time that we've seen an indication that the government hasn't fully committed to raising the threshold to 100 percent of the median salary. In January, Employment Minister Mats Persson said that his party, the Liberals, would even be willing to lower the threshold. There would be a one-year grace period for work permit renewals, so the current rule (80 percent of the median salary) would continue to apply for any applications for extensions submitted to the Migration Agency for twelve months from the date the law is implemented.
Local Sweden
3 days ago
- Local Sweden
Inside Sweden: What do those stats about immigrants' net contribution actually mean?
The Local's editor Emma Löfgren rounds up the biggest stories of the week in our Inside Sweden newsletter. Advertisement Hej, 'Sweden long had an overly generous migration policy which led to a rapid increase in the number of immigrants. The government and the Sweden Democrats are now implementing a paradigm shift which is significantly reducing immigration to Sweden. However, to better understand the long-term consequences of the previous policy and to learn lessons for the future, more knowledge and analysis is needed.' That was the first paragraph of an opinion piece published by the Moderates, Christian Democrats and Sweden Democrats in the Aftonbladet newspaper last summer, in which they announced that the government had ordered Sweden's National Institute of Economic Research (NIER) to calculate the net effects of immigration on the economy. NIER's report was published last week, but it has mostly flown under the radar. It's perhaps no surprise that the government hasn't been wanting to shout about it from the rooftops, as it shows that not only do immigrants as a group have a positive net contribution to the Swedish economy – it's in fact greater than that of native Swedes. Let's get one thing out of the way first: NIER warns that the figures in its report should be taken with a pinch of salt – certain expenses and incomes can either not be calculated directly or the available data is not broken down on an individual level, such as healthcare or infrastructure, so many of them are based on assumptions. The figures also do not take into account other effects of immigration in the Swedish economy, such as higher productivity or effects on the labour market. And it's purely based on contribution as a financial transaction – for example if I need healthcare I'm taking money out of the state and if I pay tax it's money into the state. It doesn't take into account 'soft' contributions such as getting involved in community events or just being a nice neighbour – I think it's important not to forget about those things. Advertisement Anyway, the report found that foreign-born people as a group contributed six billion kronor to Sweden's public finances in 2022, whereas native Swedes had almost exactly the opposite figures, with a negative net contribution of six billion kronor. But what I think is almost more important than the stats, is looking at the why. For example, a major reason why native Swedes have a negative net contribution is that this group includes a large number of children, young people and pensioners, which means that it has high costs associated with children and the elderly's needs – groups that don't pay as much money into the system because they're not working. Similarly, Finns as a group have a substantial negative net contribution, because many Finns who arrived as labour migrants between 1950 and 1970 are now middle aged or older, meaning that they have high costs for pensions, healthcare and elderly care. If you break it down to 'refugees' and 'other immigrants', refugees as a group have a negative net contribution (but it's been rising in recent years). This is because refugees arrive without a job so they don't immediately start paying into the system – but if you look at refugees who've been in Sweden longer, their net contribution is positive. Indians have by far the highest net contribution to the Swedish economy – in fact enough to offset the entire negative contribution of people born in Sweden. This is because most Indians moving to Sweden already have highly-qualified jobs ready when they arrive in the country and work in highly-paid industries such as tech. Most Indians in Sweden arrived in the past decade or so, so they're at peak working age. Advertisement But all of this is a snapshot, based on figures from 2022. It doesn't take into account the lifetime Swedish pensioners spent working, or the decades newly arrived refugees will spend paying into the system as soon as they enter the labour market. If anything, looking only at the financial benefit to the Swedish state, it's obvious from the report that more barriers need to be removed for foreigners trying to get a foot through the door of the labour market, and that decision-makers need to stop implementing policies that are actively turning work permit holders away. But what it mainly tells me rather than who is financially valuable (!) and who isn't, is that these things come and go in waves. Every single one of us goes through phases of life when we pay into the system and phases when we take our fair share out of it. And the key difference is where we are in life, rather than our immigration status. Immigrants, work permit holders, native Swedes, refugees, trailing spouses, children, pensioners – we all contribute to the world around us in our own individual way. What does the word 'contribution' mean to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Before I move on to the rest of the top stories we've covered this week, I just want to take a moment to say that we've been overwhelmed by the response to our appeal last week for donations to help us do the journalism that matters to you. Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared the appeal, or is just here reading us. Advertisement In other news This week's episode of Sweden in Focus Extra for Membership+ subscribers features an interview with Indian lawyer Aakritee Tiwari. My latest budget tip is to swap your morning coffee for a cauliflower (not really). Anyone running the Copenhagen-Malmö Bridge Run this weekend? If not, here's what you need to know about how it will affect travel – and where you can watch. GAMES: Have you tried The Local's games for Membership+ subscribers yet? We've got a new crossword and word search puzzle out now Good news at last for work permit holders. The rule that if you want to change employer in the first two years you have to get a new permit will be scrapped next year – and the grace period for laid-off work permit holders will be extended (for some). More than 30 teachers at the IES school chain have lost their permanent contracts and either been made redundant or moved into other roles after Sweden's Schools Inspectorate criticised the group for its use of teachers without a Swedish certification. Swedish property prices saw a modest increase in May. Advertisement In many ways, Sweden grinds to a halt during the summer, as workers head out to the countryside for a well-earned rest. That's not quite true though – here are the new laws and other changes in store for June, July and August. I really enjoyed speaking with Francisca Leonardo, or Frankie, for our My Swedish Career interview this week. She shares the story of how a major health scare, just a couple of years after arriving in Sweden from Canada, sparked a radical career change: from biotechnology to running her own, unique travel brand in Stockholm. After a disappointing spring for much of the country, this weekend brings with it hotter temperatures, with the mercury potentially hitting 27 or 28C in Stockholm on Sunday. Thanks for reading, Emma Löfgren Editor, The Local Sweden Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members which gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It's published each Saturday and with Membership+ you can also receive it directly to your inbox.
