Changes to the Aliens Act 2021
On July 20, 2021, the Swedish migration legislation was changed. The changes mean, among other things, that there are new requirements for all who apply for a permanent residence permit.
Special requirements for permanent residence permits
The new requirements for obtaining a permanent residence permit mean that you must
- fulfil the requirements for an extended residence permit
- have had a temporary residence permit – doctoral students and researchers four years over the past seven years (no change)
- be able to support yourself financially through income from employment or your own company (if you are 18 or older) - New requirement
- live an orderly life (if you are 15 or older).
There are no transitional rules, so all decisions made on 20 July 2021 or later are based on the new rules, regardless of when the application was submitted.
Requirements for knowledge of Swedish language and civic knowledge will come, but we do not know when. A special investigator shall submit proposals latest on 22 May 2023. See Swedish language requirement for permanent residency to be investigated
Maintenance requirement for permanent residence permit
The law states that your ability to support yourself financially must be of a certain duration. The Swedish Migration Agency considers you to meet the duration requirement if you have permanent employment, or if you have fixed-term employment lasting at least 18 months from the date on which your application is examined. Please note that in practice the period has to be longer due to the processing time at the Migration Agency.
You may count income from one or more part-time jobs, and parental benefits or sickness benefits, if you have ongoing employment, and your parental leave or sick leave is not assessed to be longer than 18 months.
You may not count income from a family member, wealth or returns from capital, unemployment insurance (unemployment benefits) or various forms of grants or scholarships.
You meet the maintenance requirement if your income per month from your employment or company covers your housing costs and the so-called normal amount for a single adult. The normal amount for 2021 is SEK 5,016 per month for a single adult.
Temporary residence permits, for example for doctoral studies and research, have other maintenance requirements.
If the requirements for a permanent residence permit are not met
If you cannot be granted a permanent residence permit but there is reason to extend a residence permit for doctoral studies, then the Swedish Migration Agency will examine it without the applicant having to request it. If there is nothing that shows that there are other reasons for the permit, the Swedish Migration Agency does not have an obligation to investigate any other reasons.
If you do not meet the requirements for a permanent residence permit, you may still be able to obtain a extended, temporary residence permit, if you meet the requirements.
- A temporary residence permit for doctoral studies can be extended up to your dissertation (full-time studies), see Checklists and examples of attestation of third-cycle studies (doctoral studies)
- A temporary residence permit for researchers may be extended according to the hosting agreement up to four years at a time, multiple times.
- A temporary work permit can be granted for at most two years at a time, multiple times.
If you do not have a new job immediately after your dissertation or research project, an alternative could be to apply for a residence permit after completing your studies or completed research to stay in Sweden for 12 months to look for work or investigate the conditions for conducting business here. Please note, however, that special requirements apply, for example regarding your ability to support yourself. Furthermore, it is important to point out that with such a permit you can extend your stay in Sweden by getting a job and applying for a work permit from within the country, but if you want to continue your research career, you cannot get a researcher's permit after having a “jobseeker permit after completing research / studies” without leaving the country. A jobseeker's permit cannot be extended.
If you are a citizen of a country outside of the EU and have lived continuously in Sweden for five years, you may be granted long-term resident status in Sweden. A person who has been granted long-term resident status in Sweden receives a permanent residence permit automatically. Please note that if you have had a residence permit in Sweden for studies at the Bachelor's or Master's level, for visits or jobseeking, you may not count that time. Maintenance requirement.
Change of status (permit type)
A first-time application for a residence permit must be made while you are outside Sweden, otherwise your application may be rejected. In some cases, you may be able to apply for a residence permit while you are in Sweden with another valid residence permit. See Guide för statusbyte inifrån Sverige (in Swedish). Se more information about change of status
Family
Each applicant must meet the requirements to obtain a permanent residence permit. It is no longer possible to obtain a permanent residence permit automatically because a family member receives it. Read more information for employees, self-employed persons or doctoral students with a co-applicant family
Reactions
University World News: Migration law – One of many hurdles to a research career
DSA at KI and PhD Chapter at KTH - Doctoral students' network: Researchers' Manifestation Against the New Aliens Act 15 May
SR: How can Sweden ensure it has enough researchers?
University World News: Ongoing protest over migration law’s effect on PhD students
Report: Nine voices from the Aliens in Academia
Report: Researchers less likely to stay in Sweden after new policy
Universitetsläraren: Akademiker demonstrerade mot utlänningslagen
SULF: The new rules regarding permanent residency webinar 11 February 2022
Svenskt näringsliv: Vi satsar på utbildning av spetskompetens – men hur får vi den att stanna i Sverige? webinar 8 feb 2022
Saco och SULF: Debatt Utländska forskare och doktorander förtjänar permanent uppehållstillstånd
Svt: Oro inom universitetsvärlden efter nya utlänningslagen: ”Kan tappa spetskompetens”
SULF: Meeting with the Moderate Party to discuss migration legislation
Debatt: Åtgärda bristerna i utlänningslagen, annars förlorar Sverige racet om talangerna
University World News: Business criticises migration rules for foreign graduates
Svenskt Näringsliv: Utländska masterstudenter och doktorander lämnar Sverige
Regeringen: Ändrade regler om permanent uppehållstillstånd berör även doktorander
SUHF: Skrivelse från SUHF rörande nya krav för att få permanent uppehållstillstånd 2021-12-07 med bilagor
Debatt: Sverige behöver underlätta för fler doktorander att stanna
DN Debatt: ”Ge alla utländska forskare permanent uppehållstillstånd”
SvD: ”Migrationsreglerna slår mot forskning”
Tidningen Curie: Nya migrationslagen slår mot doktorander
SR: Proposal to exempt researchers from new permanent residency rules voted down
SvD: Nej till undantag för utländska forskare
Saco, SULF. SULF:s doktorandförening and Tco, ST, Sfs and Sfs-Dk The new Aliens Act: Joint statement
Läkartidningen: Oro bland utländska doktorander efter nya regler för uppehållstillstånd
SULF: The government is passing the buck and putting up a smokescreen
C: Det är upp till bevis – stoppar du kompetensutvisningarna, Johansson?
Rektors blogg GU: Internationell konkurrenskraft hotas av ny lag
SUHF: Skrivelse till Justitiedepartementet, Utbildningsdepartementet, Näringsdepartementet och Finansdepartementet rörande nya krav för att få permanent uppehållstillstånd
SvD: Nya krav på undantag för utländska forskare
Liberalerna: Inför undantag i utlänningslagen för forskare och doktorander
Altinget Skandal att regeringen skickar forskarutbildade ut ur landet
Rektors blogg LU Internationaliseringshinder behöver bort
Tv4Nyheter Ny lag oroar forskare med uppdrag i Sverige
SR Utländska doktorander kan tvingas lämna landet
SvD Flera tusen akademiker kan tvingas bort
Rektors blogg SU: Forskningspolitiken vs utlänningslagen
Rektors blogg UmU: Den nya migrationslagen driver forskartalanger till andra länder
TT: Tusentals akademiker kan tvingas lämna Sverige
SR: PhD students greatly concerned over new residence permit rules
Universitetsläraren: ”Många av oss doktorander diskuterar att lämna Sverige”
Rektors blogg KI: Utlänningslagen måste justeras annars riskerar Sverige att tappa kompetens och talanger
Dagens Samhälle: KI: Nya lagregler motverkar en expansiv kunskapsutveckling i Sverige
DN Ledare: Sverige förlorar på att forskartalangerna stöts bort
University World News: New migration law will ‘harm Swedish research’ – Unions
Petition started by doctoral students, SULF, ST and SFS-DK: Change the legal grounds of Permanent Residency for doctoral students and other researchers in Sweden
The Doctoral Students' Association at KI: Changes in The Aliens Act – new legislation applies for permanent residency from July 20th
The Local: ‘Reasonable balance’: Swedish government defends new rules for foreign PhD students
SULF:s doktorandförening: ”Migrationslagen skadar svensk forskning”
SULF & SFS: ”Nya migrationsregler kan orsaka forskarflykt”
Universitetsläraren: Svårare för utländska forskare som vill stanna i Sverige
SULF: Changes to the Aliens Act impact researchers and doctoral candidates
SULF: Frequently asked questions about permanent residence permit
SULF-DCA OPINION: Sweden’s new migration act will damage our research and send international talent elsewhere
The Local: Foreign doctoral students hit out at Sweden’s new and ‘unfair’ permanent residency rules
The Local: 'Brain drain': Survey warns stricter migration law could see international academics leaving Sweden
More information
The Swedish Migration Agency The Swedish Migration Agency is now starting to apply the new rules of the Aliens Act
The Swedish Migration Agency Permanent residence permits for doctoral students
The Swedish Migration Agency Special requirements for permanent residence permits
The Swedish Migration Agency Request to conclude a case
The Swedish Migration Agency If you want to appeal