Become a certified operator
An employer can be certified by the Swedish Migration Agency, which provides faster processing. We strive to make decisions for complete applications for a work permit within ten working days for the first application and 20 working days for a renewal application.
The certification applies to the first and renewal application for a work permit and application from former students who have had a residence permit in Sweden and are applying for a work permit. Even family members who apply at the same time as the employee are included in the certification. Persons applying for a work permit when they are in Sweden to visit employers, for example, are not covered by the certification.
Requirements for certification
The certification does not mean that the Swedish Migration Agency revokes or changes the conditions for granting a work permit. The basic requirements for support, and for wage- and employment conditions that are in line with collective agreements, still apply. The same applies to right of trade unions to be given an opportunity to comment on the terms of employment in each individual case.
To become a certified operator, the work permit requirements must be met. In addition, the company must
- be registered as an employer
- have the funds to hire
- have a recurring need to recruit workers from a country outside the EU with at least ten applications a year
- have at least ten applications for work permits in the past 18 months (recently started businesses that have existed less than one year can be certified even though the company has not applied for work permits before)
- take responsibility for submitting web applications that are complete
- have fulfilled the requirements for residence permits and work permits if the employer has previously recruited labour from a non-EU country.
In order for you to get a work permit decision as a certified employer, the application for a work permit must be complete.
Read more about the requirements for work permits
The Swedish Migration Agency strives to make decisions for complete applications for a work permit within ten working days for the first application and 20 working days for a renewal application.
An operator may be deregistered from the certification if the conditions for the certification or work permits are not met.
Express interest for certification
You register interest in becoming certified through the Swedish Migration Agency’s e-service. Log in with electronic ID to register interest.
The registration of interest must include
- company name, registration number, address, phone number and email address
- email address and phone number for a contact person
- specification of industry or type of business (including SNI code
External link, opens in new window.)
- information on possible collective agreements
- details of the recurring needs during the year to employ people from non-EU countries, and an explanation of the reasons for this.
With your express of interest, you should also enclose
- a registration certificate for the company
- an annual financial statement or annual accounts
- the balance sheet and income statement report for the current year.
Read more about higher requirements for work permits in certain industries
If your company is newly registered, you should also enclose
- an opening balance sheet or a profit-and-loss statement replacing the annual financial statement or annual accounts
- a brief description of your business.
If your company is conducting a business requiring a permit and you are going to employ people in occupations that require this permit, personal assistants for example, you also have to attach a certificate of a permit for the business.
If you as an employer receive grants for short-term work from the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket), you may need to append Tillväxtverket's decision email as support in your registration. When you make your registration in the e-service, you will find out exactly which documents you need to append.
New certification takes place every three months, in March, June, September and December. Registration of interest in becoming a certified employer must be submitted no later than the last day of the month before. In order to have time to send in any supplements, the Swedish Migration Agency recommends that you send in your registration earlier than this. Registrations that are received after these dates must wait until the next new certification takes place. For example, if you send in your registration on 1 March, you must wait until June before you receive notice of whether your company has been certified or not.
Notice of certification is sent to the same email address that you use in the registration.
Requirements for using the e-service
In order to use the e-service, you need
- an e-identification
- an email.