Support for employers in the application process

As an employer, you have a lot to think about when recruiting employees from countries outside the EU. If you are planning to employ highly qualified workers, you can therefore receive extra support when preparing to apply for a work permit. This support is adapted to your needs and recruitment situation.

Although all employers are of course welcome to contact us for guidance, the Swedish Migration Agency has a specific mission to promote the recruitment of highly qualified workers. To this end, we now have a special team that provides extra support for employers looking to hire highly qualified workers. You can find a definition of what this means further down the page.

Extra support adapted to your recruitment situation

We want employers that recruit highly qualified workers to be well equipped to submit complete applications and receive quick decisions. That’s why you can get extra support from information officers who are specialists in the work permit process. They will provide you with customised information adapted to your current recruitment situation. The support can consist of individual contact via e-mail or phone, as well as in-person meetings if necessary.

You can also receive this extra support if you are a representative acting on behalf of an employer in the application process.. However, the requirements for obtaining a work permit remain the same.

How to get extra support

Are you looking to recruit highly qualified workers and want support? Fill out the form below, and our experts will get back to you within a few days.

Contact us for support when recruiting highly qualified workers

Please note that the extra support does not mean that the Swedish Migration Agency takes over responsibility for correctly completing your application, nor does it mean you will receive any sort of advance decision. Before you get in touch, we also ask that you read up on the requirements and the application process.

This will allow us to make efficient use of everyone’s time and dive immediately into your unique needs and questions.

New sorting method for faster handling

The Swedish Migration Agency has introduced a new way of sorting applications based on occupation and industry. This system, combined with the early identification of complete applications, allows us to process complete applications for highly qualified workers within 30 days.

Start-ups can also receive support

Newly established companies that have been active for less than 12 months can receive extra support in the recruitment of highly qualified workers. However, they cannot expect a decision within 30 days, as start-ups require extra investigation.

Kvinna arbetar framför en server.

Companies in industries with stricter investigation requirements are not eligible for support

The extra service for employers that recruit highly qualified workers does not apply to employers in industries where the Swedish Migration Agency applies stricter investigation requirements to counteract fraud and human exploitation.

Read more about which industries have stricter investigation requirements

We collaborate to ensure good cooperation

To enable employers like you to keep up to date on current issues, the Swedish Migration Agency collaborates with industry and employer organisations. We meet at collaboration meetings and share current and relevant information – which the industry and employer organisations then share via their channels.

Our common goal is to increase the number of complete applications, which benefits all of us. At the same time, the collaboration meetings are a way for the Swedish Migration Agency to gather information that can have other positive effects: improved information, improved processes, or more user-friendly services. We hold these collaboration meetings regularly and follow them up with statistics to ensure that our efforts are having an effect.

Here you will find statistics for the average processing time for cases covered by the service commitment for a decision within 30 days.

Average processing time in days

Processing time for decided cases (days)

Feb

March

April

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Highly qualified workers

10

14

17

17

19

18

19

19

EU Blue Card

10

19

19

19

11

15

9

14

ICT permits


26

34

23

30

42

26

23

Researchers

12

21

25

24

25

24

33

24

The definition of highly qualified workers is based on the Swedish Standard Classification of Occupations (SSYK), a system of codes that group individuals’ occupations or tasks. The codes used to distinguish highly qualified workers based on occupational areas are SSYK Codes 1-3 (SSYK 2012):

  1. Managerial occupations
  2. Occupations that require advanced higher education qualifications
  3. Occupations with a requirement for higher education qualifications or equivalent.

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