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What does it take to move to Sweden? Processing, cost, job offer and permanent residence

3 pathways verified against an official source. Start with a pathway, or open the published rules below to compare requirements.

A place to explore the rules, not an eligibility decision.

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Verified pathways

3 published records

Work Permit

Sweden work visa: Work permit (employee)

Residence and work permit for employment with a named Swedish employer. Tied to that employer, occupation and company identity number: a new job, a change of profession or a new company number needs a new application. From 1 June 2026 the monthly salary must be at least 90 percent of the SCB median salary that applied when the application was submitted (SEK 34,470 from 16 June 2026, based on median SEK 38,300) and must also be on par with Swedish collective agreements or common practice in the profession or industry, which may require more than the statutory floor. Exempt occupations use 75 percent of the median (SEK 28,725 from 16 June 2026). The employer must have taken out health, life, industrial-injuries and occupational-pension insurance; employment of at most one year also needs comprehensive health insurance. First grant is at most two years, never longer than the contract or the passport. Permanent residence is a later application after four of the past seven years on a work permit, plus sustainable after-tax income above housing costs (SEK 6,243 a month left for a single adult in 2026) and a well-behaved life. Time alone is not enough.

Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-08-15

Explore pathway Compare Sweden work visa: Work permit (employee) with another pathway

Study permit

Sweden student visa: Residence permit for studies at higher education

Temporary residence permit for full-time first- or second-cycle studies (or exchange / higher vocational / post-secondary folk high school). Must be finally admitted; distance learning does not qualify. Maintenance for applications in 2026 is at least SEK 10,656 a month (18 percent of the 2026 prisbasbelopp of SEK 59,200). Studies of at least one year: register in the population register for health care. Studies of less than one year: comprehensive health insurance. Permits granted on or after 11 June 2026 for bachelor’s or master’s level allow at most 15 hours’ work a week. This route is not on the Agency’s permanent-residence listing (that listing names work, self-employment, family ties and doctoral students). A later permit to look for work after completed studies is a separate temporary permission.

Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-08-15

Explore pathway Compare Sweden student visa: Residence permit for studies at higher education with another pathway

Business

Sweden self-employed visa: Residence permit to run your own business

Residence permit to run a business you own at least 51 percent of, with decisive responsibility. Requires industry and self-employment experience, relevant Swedish or English (very good Swedish if many Swedish customers or suppliers), a credible budget, customer contacts or networks, and own money to run or buy the business (loans are not normally accepted). Maintenance: at least SEK 200,000 in a bank account in your name for two years, plus SEK 100,000 for an accompanying spouse and SEK 50,000 per accompanying child. First grant at most two years, never longer than the passport. Permanent residence may be applied for after at least two years running the business, if you can support yourself through the business and live a well-behaved life. Time alone is not enough.

Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-08-15

Explore pathway Compare Sweden self-employed visa: Residence permit to run your own business with another pathway

Go into the detail

Compare the published requirements.

How we verify

Open a topic to see the recorded values, conditions and sources. Unchecked information stays distinct from information that the source does not publish.

Processing times, fees and residence outcomes

How long do these Sweden routes take, what do they cost, and do they lead to permanent residence?

What language evidence and skills assessment does Sweden name?

  • Language evidence: Work-permit pages opened for this file do not publish a language test. Self-employment: relevant knowledge of Swedish or English; very good Swedish if the business has many Swedish suppliers or customers. Study pages do not publish a language-test requirement.
  • Credential assessment: Study: finally admitted to full-time studies (30 credits per semester at a university or university college). Work: no credential-assessment body is named on the opened Migration Agency pages.

Verified 2026-09-25 against Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).

Facts on this page come from those records — not from unsourced scores or blurbs.

Every cell is a sourced value or an explicit statement that nothing is stored. Amounts stay in the published currency.

Routes by residence outcome

Which Sweden routes lead to permanent residence later?

Which Sweden routes do not lead to permanent residence on their own?

Job offer requirements

Do I need a job offer for these Sweden routes?

The authority states a job offer is required

A job offer is required for these routes.

The authority states a job offer is not required

The authority states a job offer is not required.

Not published on the page we read

We looked. Not published on the pages we read.

Education requirements

What education do these Sweden routes require?

The page states no education minimum

The page states no education minimum

Not yet checked

We have not yet checked this field against the official source. That is not a finding that the page we read does not carry a rule.

Proof of funds

What funds do these Sweden routes require?

The authority publishes a funds figure

These records store a funds amount with its basis and the authority's own note.

Not yet checked

We have not yet checked this field against the official source. That is not a finding that the page we read does not carry a rule.

Information gaps and their sources

Not published on the pages we read

Union of the absences recorded on this destination's routes. Each row quotes the reason stored on that record.

Processing time

  • Sweden work visa: Work permit (employee)

    Page: “It is not possible to say exactly how long you will need to wait for a decision.” Statistics for cases decided in the last 12 months: highly qualified complete 75 percent within 1 month, incomplete 2 months; other employments complete 75 percent within 4 months, incomplete 10 months. That is history, not a promised range. Old 1–4 month range deleted.

    Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-09-25

  • Sweden student visa: Residence permit for studies at higher education

    English page opened 2026-09-18: statistics for cases decided in the last 12 months, “75% of recently decided cases have been decided within: 3 months.” Swedish: “75% av nyligen avgjorda ärenden har avgjorts inom: 3 månader.” That is a statistic, not a promised range. Old 1–3 month range deleted.

    Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-09-25

  • Sweden self-employed visa: Residence permit to run your own business

    Page opened 2026-09-18: “It is not possible to say exactly how long you will need to wait for a decision.” Statistics for cases decided in the last 12 months. Complete applications: “The number of decided cases is too small for us to show the waiting time.” Incomplete applications: “75% of recently decided cases have been decided within: 11 months.” That is history, not a promised range. The previous complete 8-month figure is no longer published. Old 3–9 month range deleted.

    Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-09-25

Minimum language level

Compare across countries: all comparisons · Why no one commits to a processing time · Years to permanent residence · Immigrate without a job offer · Application fees by country · Proof of funds by country · Work visa salary minimums · Language requirements by country · Student visas and permanent residence · Temporary visas compared

Not yet verified

These names appear in searches. We have not checked them against an official source, so this page states no fees, timelines, or settlement outcomes for them.

View 2 unverified routes

  • Sweden — EU Blue Card

    Unverified

    An EU Blue Card for highly qualified employment in Sweden.

    Not yet verified against an official source

  • Sweden — Residence permit to seek work (degree holders)

    Unverified

    A time-limited Swedish residence permit to look for work after completed studies or research. It is a separate temporary permission, not permanent residence.

    Not yet verified against an official source