The e-service to register interest in becoming certified will close 1 June

The Swedish Migration Agency has decided to discontinue the certification system and replace it with a new model that promotes the recruitment of highly qualified workers. The first step in the discontinuation is that the opportunity to become a certified operator will end on 1 June.

The Swedish Migration Agency has a mandate from the Government to promote the recruitment of highly qualified workers. This will be accomplished through better service and shorter processing times for companies seeking to hire highly qualified workers from outside the EU.

The current certification system has grown so expansive that it no longer serves its original purpose. The system now includes many companies that do not recruit highly qualified workers. Therefore, the Swedish Migration Agency has decided to discontinue the certification system.

The first step in the phase-out is that no new registrations of interest to become a certified operator will be accepted after the current application period. The Swedish Migration Agency will process the expressions of interest in becoming certified that have been received up to and including 31 May, but on 1 June the e-service for this type of registrations will close.

For the time being, operators who have already been certified will continue to be able to submit registrations of interest to represent new subsidiaries. Affected operators will receive information about how the discontinuation of the certification system will be carried out.

All the details about the new model that will replace the current certification system are not yet in place. However, it is already clear that it will include new international recruitment units, which will be tasked with providing additional services to employers seeking to hire highly qualified workers from outside the EU. The introduction of the new model is planned for the end of the year, following dialogue with the business community.