New rules for labour immigration – these occupations are exempted
The Government has now decided which occupations and groups will be exempt from the salary requirement. The decision also covers which occupations will be excluded from eligibility for work permits. The new rules will come into force on 1 and 11 June.
From 1 June 2026, new rules for work permits will apply in Sweden. One of the changes is a new salary requirement stipulating that, in order to obtain a work permit, the salary must amount to at least 90 percent of the median salary in Sweden at the time of application.
Around twenty occupational groups are exempt
The government has decided that certain occupational groups will not be subject to the salary requirement. Through amendments to the Aliens Ordinance, around twenty occupations are exempted from the salary threshold. For these occupations, the salary instead must amount to at least 75 percent of the median salary in Sweden at the time of application. The exemption for these occupations will apply from 1 June.
– At present, the Swedish Migration Agency has approximately 2,200 open work permit cases (first-time applications). The majority of these applications will not be processed before 1 June. Of these 2,200 cases, around 120 concern applications for work permits in occupations may now be exempt from the salary requirement. For all others, the salary requirement must be fulfilled in order for a work permit to be granted after 1 June 2026, says says Deputy assignment manager Hanna Geurtsen at The Swedish Migration Agency.
See the Government’s list below.
Additional groups exempted
Four additional categories of applicants are also exempt from the 90 percent requirement. For these groups as well, the salary must amount to 75 percent of the median salary:
- former students who are allowed to apply for a work permit from within Sweden,
- persons with foreign qualifications seeking employment in order to obtain a Swedish licence as a pharmacist, doctor, nurse or dentist,
- persons granted residence permits with or after temporary protection under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive, who apply for permits based on employment,
- employees at certain tech or life science companies. The company must be in a start-up phase, less than five years old, and have fewer than one hundred employees.
The exemption for these groups will apply from 11 June.
Occupations excluded from eligibility for work permits
The new rules also mean that employment in two occupations will no longer qualify for a work permit, regardless of employment conditions. These two occupations are personal assistants and forest berry pickers.
– Most people working in berry picking apply for seasonal work permits and are therefore not affected by the exclusion. However, there are approximately 60 work permit applications concerning employment as personal assistants. For this occupational group, the exclusion means that work permits can no longer be granted for employment within that occupation, says Hanna Geurtsen.
New notification requirement
The changes also mean that the Government is introducing a new notification requirement for employers, with the aim of preventing fraud and abuse. Employers with an employee holding a work permit in Sweden must notify the Swedish Migration Agency if the employee has not started working within four months from the date the permit came into effect. In addition, information about employers contained in suspicion and criminal records registers may be disclosed to the Swedish Migration Agency in work permit cases.
Read more about the new work permit rules entering into force on 1 June 2026:
New rules for work permits from 1 June 2026