Sweden is moving ahead with plans to reform its work permit system, aiming to remove the current requirement that forces employees to apply for a completely new permit if they switch employers within their first two years in the country. This policy shift is designed to align Swedish national law with an EU directive adopted in April 2024, which seeks to streamline the process for third-country citizens to obtain and maintain work and residence status across EU member states.
Currently, an applicant’s first two-year work permit is tied to a specific employer and a specific role, whereas work permits after two years are tied to a specific role only. The upcoming changes, which are now scheduled to take effect on February 1st, 2027, will eliminate the need for a full re-application process. Instead, workers will simply be required to inform the Swedish Migration Agency of their change in employment. Failure to provide this notification could result in the withdrawal of the individual’s work permit.
The Migration Agency will retain oversight, as it will be responsible for reviewing the details of any new role to ensure it continues to meet all necessary legal requirements for a work permit. Additionally, the proposal addresses current limitations regarding trial periods. Currently, the Migration Agency is only able to issue a work permit for the length of the applicants’ work contract, which in the case of trial periods is usually less than six months.
On July 8th, 2026, the Swedish government officially submitted the proposal to the Council on Legislation. This body is tasked with scrutinizing the bill to ensure that all provisions are consistent with existing national legislation before the proposal is presented to the Swedish parliament for final consideration.
