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- | Asylum seekers
Asylum seekers
Requirements to receive an AT-UND
You will be entitled to an AT-UND – exemption from the obligation to hold a work permit – if:
- You have established your identity by means of identification documents. This means that you need to present documents showing what your name is, when you were born and of which country you are a citizen. The document should also contain a photograph and be issued by a competent authority. Even if you do not have any identification documents, you can obtain an AT-UND if you help the Migration Board to establish your identity as far as possible.
- Your case is to be considered in Sweden. Read more about the Dublin Regulation and consideration in the first country. More information on the Dublin Regulation
- Your application is well-founded. This means you must have valid reasons to have your application considered and grounds for seeking asylum.
If you meet these conditions, you will receive a certificate by having an AT-UND endorsed on your Asylum Seeker (LMA) card. An AT-UND is normally valid until you are granted a residence permit or leave Sweden. Contact the Reception Unit where you are registered if you are not sure whether your AT-UND is valid.
If you receive an AT-UND, you may use the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) in your municipality. You can find job vacancies and other information at the Public Employment Service's website.
Work while you are an asylum seeker
If you find work, you must present your AT-UND certificate to your employer.
Notification to Swedish Migration Board Your employer must notify the Swedish Migration Board in writing that you have been employed. This information must be submitted to the Reception Unit where you are registered. Your employer can use the form Notice of employment for asylum seekers, no. 152011.
If you receive a daily allowance, you must always notify the Swedish Migration Board of your income.
Contact the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) to get a coordination number
You must contact the Swedish Tax Agency to obtain a coordination number. You will need this to show that you have been working and paying tax during your asylum period if you wish to apply for a work permit later. You will also require a coordination number to be able to receive sickness benefit if you become sick and are unable to work.
Applying for a work permit
If you have been an asylum seeker and have received a decision of refused entry that has come into force you can apply for a work permit when you are in Sweden. You must submit your application to the Swedish Migration Board within two weeks from the time your decision came into force. (See fact box below.)
Requirements to be granted a work permit
To be granted a permit requires that:
- you have a passport that covers the whole period of validity of the permit.
- you have been employed for at least six months as an asylum seeker and your employment will continue for at least a further 12 months from the date of application.
- the employment must have been with the same employer.
- you have and have had work of such a scope that the pay is at least SEK 13,000 per month.
- you can earn your own living.
The terms and conditions of employment and the requirement for support must also be satisfied during the period when you worked as an asylum seeker.
In addition your employer must:
- offer terms of employment that are equal to those of a Swedish collective agreement or what is customary within the profession or sector
- give the relevant union organisations the opportunity to express an opinion on the terms of employment in the job offer.
Your employer is responsible for proving to the Swedish Migration Board that the requirements for the terms of employment have been met. The employer does this by means of an offer of employment, Swedish Migration Board form Offer of employment, no 232011, which you must enclose with your application.
Those who receive a residence permit will be given a residence permit card. The card is proof of your residence permit.
Different ways of applying
You can apply for a work permit in different ways:
- at the Swedish Migration Board's website or
- by post to the Swedish Migration Board or
- at one of the Swedish Migration Board's permit units.
Use the form Application for Swedish work permit — for applicants currently in Sweden, no. 151011 if you do not apply via the website.
In order for the Migration Board to be able to issue a residence permit card, you will be photographed and will need to submit fingerprints in connection with:
- submitting your application or
- when you receive your residence permit.
Application fee
Most people have to pay an application fee; see page on fees.
Make sure your application is complete
Always enclose the following with your application
- copy of passport, copies of the pages of your passport that show your identity, the validity period of your passport and whether you have permits to be in countries other than your native country
- job offer
- receipt of paid application fee.
Decision on refusal of entry or deportation continues to apply
An application for a work permit need not mean that work on returning to your native country is suspended. It depends on whether your application for a work permit is well-founded.
Right to appeal
It is not possible to appeal against the rejection of an application for a work permit. Your previous decision on refusal of entry or deportation then applies and you must leave Sweden.
If you are granted a residence and work permit
If you are granted a residence and work permit you are entitled to be in Sweden for as long as the permit specifies. However, your refusal of entry or deportation decision will continue to apply right up until when you obtain a permanent residence permit.
Arranging own accommodation
If you are granted a work permit, you will be deregistered from your Reception Unit. You must arrange your own accommodation.
Permit validity period
If the employment is temporary, you will get a residence and work permit that only covers the relevant period. The maximum validity period for your permit is two years. You can then apply for an extension.
You will become eligible for a permanent residence permit after 48 months.
Change of employer
For the first two years the residence and work permit is restricted to one named employer and a particular profession. For this reason, you will have to apply for a new work permit if you change employer or profession over the first two years. If the residence and work permit has been extended after two years, it will be restricted to a particular profession. But even here you must apply for a new work permit if you change profession.
Employment ends
A residence and work permit in Sweden is always temporary.
If you lose your job and do not get a new one within three months, the Swedish Migration Board may cancel your residence permit. If you get a new job, you must submit a new application for a work permit unless the permit also covers the new job.
Permits for family members
Your family may be granted residence permits for the same period that you were granted residence and work permits for. If the employment is for longer than six months, family members may also be granted work permits.
Family members include:
- husband/wife or common law spouse
- children of yours under 18 or of your husband/wife or common law spouse.
If they are asylum seekers located in Sweden, they must have a decision that has come into force and the application must be submitted within two weeks from when the decision came into force.
Further information
More information about what applies to employees is available via the link in the right column.
With the force of law
A decision that is not appealed against comes into force when three weeks have elapsed after you have been served with the decision by the Swedish Migration Board or three weeks from when the Migration Court issued its judgment. A decision by the Migration Court of Appeal comes into force immediately. The decision also comes into force if you declare that you accept this decision. You must apply for a work permit within two weeks after the decision has come into force.
Links
The Swedish Public Employment Service
The Swedish National Tax Board
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