On February 2, the Swedish Minister for Justice and Migration – Morgan Johansson – received the initial report on the proposal for a reformed work permit regulation from the commission of inquiry led by Anita Linder. The report included proposals on a new type of talent visa for highly skilled labor, updated income thresholds in order to support dependent family members, and the removal of time limited temporary work permits, amongst others.
In February 2020, the Swedish government commissioned a report to review the current work permit regulation and potential for reform (see here). The existing work permit legislation, introduced in 2008, has been partly criticized due to a lack of employer responsibility in regard to employment conditions resulting in an increase in the abuse of labor and due to the strict application of rules whereby minor administrative mistakes have led to the deportation of highly skilled professionals.
In the report that has now been presented to the government, new proposals have been introduced that include, but are not limited to:
A link to the full proposal (in Swedish) can be found here.
The report will now be sent for referral to the relevant government agencies and other interest groups. The final proposal is scheduled to be presented to the government in November 2021 subsequently leading a vote by riksdagen (the Swedish parliament) for approval.
EY will continue to monitor developments on the proposal and provide further information once the final proposals have been approved later in the year.
In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of our EY Global Immigration team in Sweden for further information.
José Vaz, Elisa Tirén and Josef Gyrmai