Sweden: New EU Blue Card Rules Forthcoming
December 23, 2024
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At a Glance
Effective January 1, 2025, Sweden will introduce more relaxed EU Blue Card rules. Key changes include, among others:
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- Lower minimum salary thresholds;
- Reduced job-offer duration requirements;
- Expanded eligibility;
- Relaxed long-term mobility pathways; and
- Relaxed change-of-job rules.
These reforms are part of Sweden's adherence to the requirements of the 2021 EU Blue Card Directive.
The situation
Effective January 1, 2025, Sweden will introduce more relaxed EU Blue Card rules.
A closer look
| DETAILS | IMPACT |
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Lower minimum salary threshold. The minimum salary threshold will decrease to 1.25 times the average gross annual salary, down from 1.5 times. |
This will make it easier for foreign nationals to access a Swedish EU Blue Card and for employers to afford highly skilled foreign talent under the EU Blue Card pathways, effectively increasing their pool of available employees. |
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Reduced job-offer duration requirements. Employment contracts will only need to be six months in duration, down from 12 months. |
This change will grant employers more flexibility in terms of crafting employment terms. |
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Expanded eligibility, including professional experience. Although authorities are expected to provide further details in the near future, it is currently understood that eligibility criteria will be expanded to allow applicants with professional experience in a relevant field to qualify for an EU Blue Card, even if without relevant educational qualifications. Currently, applicants are only eligible if they have appropriate education qualifications. |
Employers would be able to hire highly skilled talent from a wider pool of applicants. This is particularly pertinent given the current labor shortages in Sweden. |
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Relaxed long-term mobility pathways. Foreign nationals with certain residence permits – including study permits, researchers, and those who have held an EU Blue Card in another EU Member State for at least 12 months – will be allowed to apply for an EU Blue Card from within Sweden. Currently, this is only possible under exceptional circumstances. |
By allowing in-country applications, this change will reduce costs and bureaucratic hurdles for employers seeking to attract or retain foreign talent already present in Sweden. |
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Relaxed change-of-job rules. All EU Blue Card holders will be able to change jobs simply by submitting a change-of-status notification to Swedish authorities; whereas currently, such individuals must submit a work change application (although the process is more flexible for individuals who have held their EU Blue Card for at least two years). |
Relaxed change-of-job rules will provide more flexibility for EU Blue Card holders seeking to remain in Sweden and may result in increased retention of foreign talent in the country. |
Background
In 2021, the European Union issued a directive seeking to update the existing EU Blue Card scheme, which dates back to 2009. The EU Blue Card scheme has sought to establish an attractive EU-wide immigration option for highly skilled professionals. However, the 2009 iteration has suffered from fragmented and inconsistent transposition at the national levels, with many EU Member States offering more attractive skilled-labor immigration pathways under their own national, non-EU Blue Card systems.
Looking ahead
- Implementation date. Sweden’s revised EU Blue Card rules will come into effect on January 1, 2025.
- Other EU Member States. As several EU Member States have not yet domestically implemented the updated version of the EU Blue Card directive, it is expected that further instances of domestic implementation will occur across 2025. We will report on related developments.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
