Information for those who have applied for international protection (asylum) about working in Sweden and how AT-UND works.
You must usually support yourself financially while you wait to receive a decision about your application for international protection (asylum). You can do this either by using your own savings or by working.
The Swedish Migration Agency considers your right to work once you have submitted your application for international protection. The proof that a person who has applied for international protection is exempt from the requirement to have a work permit is called “AT-UND”. If we determine that you are covered by this exemption and have the right to work, this will be recorded directly on your application card or LMA card.
If you have been offered a job and need to be granted an AT-UND exemption quickly, you can present your offer of employment to the Swedish Migration Agency. We will then quickly decide whether you can be granted AT-UND status.
Keep in mind that not only wages/salary but also other forms of compensation, such as gift cards, may affect your right to financial aid from the Swedish Migration Agency.
You are exempt from the work permit requirement if you have applied for international protection and meet the following criteria:
You submit acceptable identity documents, or otherwise help clarify your identity
Your case is under examination in Sweden
Your application is well-founded
You are not exempt from the work permit requirement if you have received, or it can be assumed that you will receive, a refusal of entry decision that is to be implemented immediately, or if your application is to be examined by another country under the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation.
You will receive AT-UND status through a registration made directly on your application card or LMA card, which your employer can check by scanning the QR code on the card. Your exemption from the work permit requirement usually applies until you receive a residence permit or leave the country.
Information about application cards and LMA cards
If you do not receive AT-UND status, this means that you do not have the right to work while waiting for a decision about your application for international protection.
Once you have AT-UND status, you can turn to the Swedish Public Employment Service for help with finding a job. They can inform you about vacancies and provide other information.
You retain your AT-UND status for as long as you cooperate in preparations for you to leave the country. If you do not cooperate in preparations for you to leave the country in accordance with the decision, you are no longer exempt from work permit requirement, and this will be evident from the information on your application card or LMA card.
If you get a job while you are waiting for a decision about your application for international protection, you must present your employer with proof that you are exempt from the requirement to have a work permit (i.e. that you have AT-UND status).
The application card and LMA card have a QR code that allows an employer to use their mobile phone to easily check if the card is valid and if you have the right to work.
Your employment does not need to be approved by the Swedish Migration Agency.
Only the Swedish Migration Agency can deposit money on the payment card that you receive from the Swedish Migration Agency. If you want to open a bank account into which your employer can deposit your wages/salary, you need to contact a bank. The bank offices themselves decide whether you meet their requirements to open an account with them.
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