As of November 1st, 2022, the Swedish Migration Agency is increasing controls made in conjunction with work permit applications. It will now be required that the applicant must personally show a valid passport to the Migration Agency (MA) and/or a Swedish Embassy/Consulate before a decision can be made. The current routine of simply attaching a copy of the passport to the application will no longer be sufficient.
Internal and external government state the reason behind this change is that the current process is too easy to manipulate and insufficient from a legal perspective.
What will this mean for me?
If you are a first-time applicant or applying for a permit from outside Sweden, you will be contacted by the Swedish Migration Agency if they request for you to show your passport. They will advise you to book an appointment at a specific Embassy/Consulate. Once you have completed the appointment, the Embassy/Consulate will then share the results with the MA and your application will continue to be processed.
You can also complete your biometrics (photo and fingerprints) at this stage, instead of waiting until the permit has been approved, as was the previous routine. This routine change also applies for any family members applying with you. The new passport requirement does not apply to children under the age 5. However, they still need to complete the biometrics and are therefore encouraged to follow along to your appointment.
If you are already in Sweden, you will still be requested to do the same at a Migration Agency office instead.
Does this apply to everyone?
The MA will only request the above from applicants who have not previously shown, in person, the passport they are now applying with to the Migration Agency and/or a Swedish Consulate/Embassy.
If for example, you are applying for an extension of a current permit based on the same passport, the above does not apply to you. However – if you have renewed your passport since your last permit was granted, you will be requested to show your new passport.
If you are applying for a permanent residency you will not have to show your passport – unless the Migration Agency assesses that you will be granted another extension instead and you have a new passport.
What is still unclear?
A question mark remains for how visa-free applicants should proceed if they wish to submit their biometrics and permit card in Sweden after a decision has been made. The MA has not yet been clear on this front and we suggest that you reach out to your Embassy/Consulate. Describe your intentions to leave biometrics in Sweden after a decision has been made and inquire if you should still leave biometrics in conjunction with your passport appointment.
We will update you once we have more information!
Your Human Entrance Team
