Press release 08 May 2008
Ministry of Justice

Government bill on labour immigration

The Government has submitted a bill to the Parliament (Riksdag) proposing new rules for labour immigration to Sweden. The proposal seeks to create more opportunities for labour immigration and to make it easier for employers to recruit from countries outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. The bill is based on an agreement between the Government and the Green Party.

"I am very pleased that we can now present this bill to the Riksdag. It is an important reform which will have a major impact on people wishing to come to Sweden to work, and on meeting our future need for labour," says Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy Tobias Billström.
It is proposed that the changes enter into force on 15 December 2008.

Facts:

• A Swedish employer who has advertised a vacant post in the EU/EEA and Switzerland and who has not found a qualified applicant within a certain period can offer the post to someone outside the EU. In this case, the new employee will be able to obtain a residence and work permit in Sweden. A key requirement is that the job offered provides a sufficient living and that the salary and other terms of employment comply with collective agreements or follow the practice of the profession or the industry. Labour organisations will continue to play an important role in determining whether or not the conditions for the employment are adequate.
• The Swedish Public Employment Agency will no longer be required to examine, in each individual case, whether the need for labour can be met through recruitment in Sweden. The employer's assessment of his or her own needs will thus be the deciding factor.
• Time limits for residence and work permits will be extended. To begin with, a time-limited permit will be granted for a maximum of two years. If the individual in question still has a valid contract after this two-year period, , it will be possible to extend the permit for an additional two years. After four years, a permanent residence permit can be granted.
• Contact between employers and job-seekers will be facilitated as much as possible. The possibility of obtaining a visa, for example to attend a job interview, will therefore be greater than at present. A person subsequently offered employment will not always need to return home to apply for a residence and work permit as is the case today.
• Asylum seekers who have found employment while their applications are being processed will, under certain conditions, be given a chance to apply for a work permit directly from Sweden. This exemption from the main rule - that residence and work permits must be obtained before entry into Sweden - means in those cases, that a person whose asylum application has been rejected does not need to return home to apply for a permit which is likely to be granted.
• After one semester of study, visiting students will be able to apply for a work permit from Sweden.