STOCKHOLM – The Swedish government has decided to increase the minimum salary requirement for labour migrants, indicating that a labour migrant has to generate an income of at least 80 per cent of the average salary in the country.
The latest change is set to become effective on November 1 under which labour immigrants will have to make around €2,900 (raised from 13,000 kronor to 27,360 kronor per month) to be eligible for a work permit.
A press release issued by the Swedish Justice Ministry said that the new measure aims to reduce low-skilled labour immigration and combat fraud as well as abuse linked to labour immigration.
The authorities are of the opinion that instead of inviting low-skilled labour immigrants from abroad, residents of Sweden could perform the job.
Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard explained that a properly raised subsistence requirement is an important step in the government’s work to tighten the conditions for labour immigration.
As far as the impact is concerned, the Migration Agency has previously admitted that it estimates around 10-20 percent of those who apply for work permits will not reach the new salary requirement and will be ineligible.
The move seems to be purely anti-immigration as the new threshold will apply to both people applying for a work permit for the first time and current work permit holders applying for extension.
Moreover, the salary requirement criteria applies only to non-EU workers as EU citizens, seasonal workers, and non-EU residents in Sweden on other permits than work permits are exempt from the salary requirement.
Interestingly, a recent report by Eurostat revealed that workers in Sweden have some of the lowest average working hours per week in Europe as they work 38.9 hours per week.
Sweden is making changes to its immigration rules and last year, the Swedish Parliament amended Aliens Act so that labour immigrants will have to achieve sufficient income through their employment in order to obtain a work permit.
