Sweden Work Permit 2026: New Salary Rule Raises the Bar for Pakistani Applicants
Sweden has quietly become one of the harder European labour markets to enter. On 1 June 2026 the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) replaced its long-standing “good living” maintenance test with a hard salary floor — and for many Pakistani applicants holding an offer from a Swedish employer, that single change decides whether the application succeeds.
The new salary requirement
To be granted a work permit, your monthly salary must now be at least 90 per cent of the median salary in Sweden at the time you apply. Statistics Sweden updated the median on 16 June 2026 to SEK 38,300, which puts the current threshold at SEK 34,470 per month. Applications received between 17 June 2025 and 15 June 2026 are still measured against the older figure of SEK 33,390.
Two details catch people out. First, the rule bites at the decision date, not the filing date — if you applied in April 2026 but Migrationsverket decides in September, the new requirement applies. Second, meeting the number is not enough on its own: the salary must also match Swedish collective agreements or normal practice in that profession.
Who is exempt — and the lower 75% floor
Certain occupations sit on a government exemption list and only need 75 per cent of the median — currently SEK 28,725. These include welders and gas cutters, maintenance mechanics, IT support and operations technicians, systems administrators, assistant nurses and care assistants, forestry workers, butchers and food-industry machine operators. Several of these are trades where Pakistani workers are genuinely competitive.
Also exempt: people already in Sweden on a student or researcher permit, doctors, dentists and nurses working towards Swedish certification, and staff at tech or life-science start-ups under five years old with fewer than 100 employees. Exemption lists are revised, so check that your occupation is still listed before an extension.
What else changed on 1 June 2026
- Comprehensive health insurance is now required if you will stay one year or less.
- Seasonal and ICT permits must pay at least the full-time collective-agreement minimum, even for part-time work.
- EU Blue Cards can now be issued for up to four years instead of two.
- Seasonal work permits extend from six to nine months in any twelve-month period.
- Work permits are no longer available for forest berry pickers or personal assistants.
- Applications can be refused because of problems on the employer’s side, such as sanctions or suspected offences.
If you already hold a permit granted before 1 June 2026 and apply to extend between 1 June and 1 December 2026, the older maintenance requirement still applies to you. From 2 December 2026 onward, everyone meets the new standard.
Applying from Pakistan
The practical picture improved in 2025. Since 9 April 2025, applicants directed by Migrationsverket can complete biometrics, passport checks and interviews at the Swedish Embassy in Islamabad rather than travelling to Addis Ababa. Short-stay Schengen visas are handled separately through VFS Global. The employee work permit application fee is widely quoted at SEK 2,200, and processing runs from a few weeks for certified employers to several months otherwise.
Before you file, make sure your degrees and experience letters are properly attested and translated — see our guides to document attestation and HEC degree attestation. Workers taking up employment abroad should also complete BEOE Protector registration. If Sweden’s threshold is out of reach, compare the German Opportunity Card or a Poland work visa, or browse all our visa services.
Our Islamabad team reviews your contract, salary level and occupation code against the current Migrationsverket rules before you spend money on an application — and prepares your attestation and translation file properly the first time.
Figures are current at the date of publication and are drawn from the Swedish Migration Agency. Salary thresholds are re-set each June, exemption lists are revised, and fees and processing times change without notice. Nothing here is legal advice, and every decision rests with the Swedish Migration Agency and the Swedish authorities. Always confirm the current requirements on migrationsverket.se before applying.