Citizens of countries outside the EU/EEA in most cases need a permit to work in Sweden.
This page contains information for staffing agencies with employees who are to be hired as berry pickers by a client in Sweden. In this case, you will be acting as the representative for the berry pickers when they apply for a work permit.
Clients, representatives, staffing agencies – who does what?
A client is the actor who wants to hire berry pickers via a staffing agency based abroad. The staffing agency is the berry pickers’ employer, and also usually their representative in the application process. In this situation, the staffing agency handles the employees’ part of the application.
Requirements for workers and the staffing agency
Requirements for workers
These requirements must be met in order for employees to be granted work permits as berry pickers:
They must have valid passports
They must have employment contracts
Employment contracts must be signed by both the staffing agency and the employees.
They must have the right terms of employment
The salary and other terms of employment must be at least on par with Swedish collective agreements or what is customary in the profession or industry.
The employment must enable workers to make a good living
This means that they must have a monthly salary/wages that amounts to at least 80 per cent of the median salary that Statistics Sweden (SCB) has published and that was current when you applied.
Requirements for the staffing agency
In addition to the requirements imposed on the employee and the client, the staffing agency must meet certain requirements in order for the people you want to hire to be able to get work permits.
The staffing agency and employees must sign employment contracts
The employment contracts must be signed by both the staffing agency and the employees.
The staffing agency must agree with the employees on terms of employment and salary/wages
The terms of employment and salary/wages must be at least on par with Swedish collective agreements or what is customary in the profession or industry. The employment must also enable workers to make a good living. This means that employees must have a monthly salary/wages amounting to at least 80 per cent of the median salary published by Statistics Sweden (SCB) at the time of application.
How high must the employee’s salary/wages be in order for them to make a good living?
To make a good living, the employee must receive a monthly salary/wages of at least SEK 28,480. This corresponds to 80 per cent of the current median salary published by Statistics Sweden (SCB) in June of each year.
Read about the current median salary on SCB’s website (in Swedish)
External link.
The salary/wages must also be on par with collective agreements or common practice in the relevant occupation or industry. This means that the employee’s salary/wages may need to be higher than 80 per cent of the median salary.
Read more on the page A good living – maintenance requirements for work permits
The staffing agency must have taken out insurance for the employees
As the berry pickers’ employer, the staffing agency must have taken out medical insurance, life insurance, industrial injury insurance, and occupational pension insurance for the employees by the time they start their employment.
The staffing agency must be able to show that they have paid salary/wages
If the staffing agency has previously hired berry pickers.
Prepare this before you apply
Visit a Swedish embassy to create an account for the e-service
As a representative, you need to visit a Swedish embassy or consulate-general to create an account for the e-service. Remember to bring a valid ID, a mobile phone, the Swedish branch’s registration certificate from the Swedish Companies Registration Office, and a power of attorney from your employer in which it is stated that you represent the company.
Make sure you have the right employee information
You will need information about the full name of the workers and any previous surnames they may have had, as well as their date of birth, citizenship, any previous citizenship, place of birth and country of birth. You will need this information when you complete the application.
Take out insurance for the employees
The staffing agency must take out medical insurance, life insurance, industrial injury insurance, and occupational pension insurance for the employees. They must be valid by the time the workers start their employment.
Translate documents
All the documents you submit should be in Swedish or English. If you have translated any documents, the translation should be certified. You must also include a copy of the document in its original language.
Plan for which embassies the employees will visit to present their passport
The employees may need to present their passports before you can receive a decision. They must do this at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general. As the representative for the berry pickers, the Swedish Migration Agency will contact you with information about how and when the employees must do this.
In some cases, the employee can have their passport checked digitally instead of showing it in person. In that case, they do not need to visit the embassy.
Read more about the digital passport control e-service
In some cases, they will not need to present their passport. For example, if the Swedish Migration Agency has already verified their passport during a previous visit, they need not present it again.
Not all Swedish embassies and consulates-general handle migration cases, so it is important to check which one they should contact:
You must attach copies of these documents to the application
Make sure that the information on your submitted documents is clearly visible.
Accurate copies of the employees’ passports
The employees cannot be granted permits for longer than their passports are valid.
Power of attorney
You need to have a power of attorney from each employee to show that they consent that you may submit an application for them.
Power of Attorney (107011)
Pdf, 1.1 MB.
Read more about power of attorney
Employment contracts
You must attach an employment contract for each employee you represent.
Documents showing that the agency is able to pay salaries/wages
Documents showing cash and cash equivalents, cheque credits or guarantees from banks (only applicable for banks within the EU/EEA and Switzerland) or documents showing that there are assets, such as legally binding commitments from other financiers or a guarantee bond from the guarantor.
Balance and performance reports can be provided in support of the above.