How to apply for a work permit

From December 15, 2008 new regulations regarding the influx of labour to Sweden have come into force, which means that there are some changes concerning work permit. According to the new regulations a work permit can be granted even if there is not a shortage of labour in a specific field. New is also that it is the employer who decides who to employ and not the National Labour Market Board (AMS) as before.

A work permit can be granted for maximum two years. After two years the permit can be prolonged for two more years. After four years (48 months) of work permit, permanent residence permit can be granted. During the first two years the work permit is limited to be valid for one specific profession at one specific employer. After two years the work permit will be limited only to the specific profession.

More information on > the new regulations can be found on the web site of the Swedish Migration Board.

Your application for work permit shall be handed in to the Embassy of Sweden or to the appropriate Consulate General. After handing in the application, you may be summoned to a personal interview. In most cases the application will be forwarded to the Swedish Migration Board for decision. Application can also be made electronically directly to the Migration Board.

Requirements when applying for a work permit

You are required to enclose the following documents with your application (note that all documents must be submitted in original and a copy of the original document)

• Two fully completed and signed application forms (see links to the right).
  
  
• Two passport photos taken within the past six months.
  -Photos that do not conform to these standards will be rejected and may cause delay in processing the application.
  
  
• A valid passport and two photocopies of the identity page of the passport. We only accept passports which have been signed by the holder of the passport.
  
  
• An "Offer of employment" (see links to the right), filled out by the employer and signed by the local labour union. The form, Anställningserbjudande 232011, can be found under "Links" on the right side of this page.
  

In addition to that, your employer shall:

• have advertised the job vacancy in Sweden and the EU.
  
  
• offer you terms of employment which must be equivalent to a Swedish collective agreement or customary terms for the occupation or industry.
  
  
• give the relevant union an opportunity to state an opinion on the terms of the offer of employment.
  

You and the employer are responsible for showing the Migration Board that the requirements above have been met. You do this by completing the application form for employees and the employer completes the Offer of the Employment form.

• Non-Chinese applicants must also provide a valid Chinese residence permit.
  
  
• Power of Attorney (see pdf-files to the right).

Self-employed should use special application forms (see links to the right). For athletes, artists, and au-pairs, please refer to the website of the Migration Board in Sweden.

Application for training which is separated from the work at the company/factory in Sweden, for example in lecture rooms, does not require any work permit. However, if the training includes any participation in the daily work at the company/factory, you need to apply for work permit. Depending on the length of a stay in Sweden/Schengen you also need to apply for a Schengen visa or a residence permit. The form "Offer of Employment" is not required when applying for  work permit for training.

Note!

If your family is going with you, please note that there is a special application form for co-applicants (see links to the right).

If you are a student or a doctoral student at a university/college you do not need a work permit to be able to work during your studies.


Where do I apply?

Online:
It is now possible to apply directly through the website of the Swedish Migration Board (permits for self-employed persons excluded), but then you must be able to pay the application fee by VISA, Mastercard or American Express. If you do not have any of these, please apply directly to the Consulate General instead. The time for handling your application will be much shorter if you apply online!

At the Consulate General:
You should hand in your application to the Consulate General at least 10 weeks before your departure to Sweden. If you fail to supply the necessary documents mentioned above, the decision-making process of your case may be delayed. The Consulate General may call you for additional documents or information if necessary.