Sweden raises work permit salary threshold to almost 30,000 kronor
Statistics Sweden has released fresh median salary figures, pushing up the work permit salary threshold for all new applicants with immediate effect.
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Sweden's median salary rose to 37,100 kronor in 2024, according to new figures posted by Statistics Sweden at 8am on June 17th.
This means there's a new minimum monthly salary non-EU workers have to earn to be eligible for a work permit, as the work permit salary threshold is tied to 80 percent of the median salary. It previously stood at 28,480 kronor before tax, but as of June 17th it's gone up to 29,680 kronor.
Salaries also need to be in line with industry standards or collective bargaining agreements to qualify for a work permit.
It's the most recently published median salary at the time of your application (not the time of a decision) that determines how much you need to earn in order to be eligible for a work permit, so the new figure does not affect applications which are already in progress.
The next median salary update will be published by Statistics Sweden in June 2026.
Are there any plans to raise the salary threshold further?
Yes. The government plans to raise the work permit threshold for new permits to 100 percent of the median salary at the time of application, with exemptions for some categories of workers.
This is still winding its way through the legislative process, which means it is not yet a done deal. The proposed starting date for the widely criticised proposal was originally June 1st, 2025, but that deadline wasn't met.
Sweden's Migration Minister Johan Forssell told The Local in May that 'no formal decision' has been made on where the final salary threshold will actually end up.
The government in February asked the Migration Agency to present a list of which professions should be exempt from the salary threshold by August 1st, suggesting that the original plan to roll out the new threshold on June 1st will be postponed until at least the autumn.
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This isn't the first time that we've seen an indication that the government hasn't fully committed to raising the threshold to 100 percent of the median salary. In January, Employment Minister Mats Persson said that his party, the Liberals, would even be willing to lower the threshold.
There would be a one-year grace period for work permit renewals, so the current rule (80 percent of the median salary) would continue to apply for any applications for extensions submitted to the Migration Agency for twelve months from the date the law is implemented.
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