New rules on immigration due to family ties and young adults from 1 October
New rules on immigration due to family ties come into force today. These include stricter requirements for people in Sweden whom family members wish to join and an increase in the amount required to meet the maintenance requirement. At the same time, young adults will have greater opportunities to stay with their parents in Sweden and a temporary opportunity to apply for another type of permit without leaving Sweden.
The Swedish Parliament has adopted new rules on immigration due to family ties. The rules come into force today, 1 October 2026, and affect you if you are a reference person or if you want to apply for or extend a residence permit to live with your family member in Sweden.
Young adults can apply for an extension of their permit
From 1 October 2026, young adults who were granted a residence permit as children can apply for an extension of their residence permit on the grounds of family ties to their parents. Previously, only children under the age of 18 could be granted a residence permit on the grounds of family ties to a parent.
You can apply for an extension of your residence permit to stay with your parent in Sweden if you
- have turned 18 but are under 21, or
- have turned 21, live with your parent and have a special relationship of dependence on your parent that goes beyond what is normally found between parents and adult children.
Until 31 December 2027, temporary rules allow you, if you have turned 18, to apply for a residence permit on the grounds of family ties to your parent even if you have received a decision requiring you to leave Sweden.
To do so, you must
- have held a residence permit as a child after 1 October 2023, and
- have received an expulsion decision that became legally binding on or after 1 January 2025.
If you have received an expulsion decision whose enforcement the Swedish Migration Agency has temporarily suspended, you must submit a new application for a residence permit by 1 December 2026. The Swedish Migration Agency will then resume work on your return case.
The temporary rules only give you the opportunity to apply for a residence permit on the grounds of family ties to your parents without first leaving Sweden. To be granted a residence permit, you must still meet the requirements.
Temporary opportunities for young adults to apply for another type of permit
On 1 October, temporary rules are being introduced that give certain young adults greater opportunities to apply for a work permit or a residence permit for studies at a university or university college without first having to leave Sweden. These permits must normally be applied for from your home country and granted before you come to Sweden.
This applies to you if you are over 18 and held a residence permit as a child on the grounds of family ties to a parent after 1 October 2023. It also applies if you have received an expulsion decision that became legally binding on or after 1 January 2025, provided that you held a residence permit as a child after 1 October 2023.
The temporary rules apply to applications submitted between 1 October 2026 and 31 December 2027. If you are granted a work permit or a residence permit for studies, you will subsequently be able to apply for an extension of your permit under the regular rules.
The temporary rules only give you the opportunity to apply for a residence permit without first leaving Sweden. To be granted a residence permit, you must still meet the requirements for the permit you are applying for.
Read more about the requirements for a work permit
Read more about the requirements for a residence permit for studies
Stricter maintenance requirement
The amount required to meet the maintenance requirement is being increased for the person in Sweden whom a family member wishes to join. From 1 October, the maintenance requirement also applies to applications for an extension of a residence permit. When examining an application for an extension, the Swedish Migration Agency can, as a general rule, also take the family member’s income into account if the income of the person in Sweden is insufficient to meet the maintenance requirement.
Exemption from the increased maintenance amount
The increased amount does not apply if you are applying for an extension of a residence permit that was granted before 1 October 2026, provided that you apply for the extension by 1 October 2027.
From 2 October 2027, the increased amount will apply to all applications, including applications for extensions.
Read more about the maintenance requirement for reference persons
The reference person must have resided in Sweden for two years
From 1 October, if you are a reference person and you hold a temporary residence permit, you must have resided in Sweden with a residence permit for two years for your family to be granted residence permits to live with you. The two-year period of residence requirement must be met when your family applies. There are certain exemptions from this requirement, including if you are a refugee and the relationship between you and your family member was established before you came to Sweden.