According to the revised Residence Law effective from July 20, 2021, if you have a work permit as an employee or self-employed or doctoral student and have or will apply for a permanent residence permit, you must meet the maintenance requirement when your family member(s) apply for a residence permit to continue living with you in Sweden.

The concept of family members is determined based on your residence status, specifically:

• An employee’s family member: spouse, registered partner and unmarried children under the age of 21. In some cases, unmarried children 21 years of age or older (that are not able to support themselves without you/your partner) may also be granted permit.

• Family members of self-employed individuals: spouse, registered partner; unmarried children under the age of 18 of you or your partner.

• Family members of doctoral students: spouse, registered partners; unmarried children under the age of 18.

As a general rule, the main applicant’s residence permit application will be examined first

Migrationsverket will first examine your application for a permanent residence permit as an employee/self-employed or Ph.D. student. If you have been granted a long-term residence permit, your family’s application will then be considered.

This means that your family member will no longer be considered as a co-applicant with you as previously required, but will be considered as a relative of a permanent residence permit holder. Therefore, you must meet the maintenance requirement in most cases.

Only when the conditions for extending a residence permit for one’s family are met, will the family member’s application for a permanent residence permit be considered.

Application for permanent residence of a family member

Family members will apply for a residence permit to live with you in Sweden after you have personally obtained a permanent residence permit.

How to apply: Exten­ding your resi­dence permit to live with someone in Sweden (moving to someone in Sweden category). You can also read the details here:

If you have children over 18 years old

If your child is 18 years old, in some cases they can apply for a residence permit to live with the holder of a permanent residence permit in Sweden. Then you have to prove that you live together and that you have to depend on each other socially and emotionally, as it would be very difficult to live apart.

Maintenance requirements

Conditions for the main application (being an employee, self-employed, or Ph.D. student):

• Be able to support yourself and the family members who are applying for a residence permit
• You must show that you have a home of an adequate size and standard for you and your family to live in

1. Regarding your source of income

You need to show that you have regular employment-related income so that you can support yourself and your family members. Examples of work-related earnings are:

• salary/wages from work
• unemployment benefits
• sickness benefits
• income-based old-age pensions.

You can also meet the requirement for maintenance if you have a sufficiently large fortune that you, other people in the household, and the family members who apply for a residence permit can live on for at least two years.

2. Your income

Your income must be enough to meet the living requirements depending on your family size and actual living expenses.

You must have enough after-tax income for the following 2 items:

2.1 Housing costs

2.2 Basic household expenses (normal amount).

This means that after the housing costs have been paid for every month, you must have enough money for, among other things, food, clothing, hygiene, telephone, household electricity, insurance, and other small expenses for temporary needs for the entire household.

For 2021 the standard amount is:

• SEK 5,016 for a single adult
• SEK 8,287 for spouses or partners living together
• SEK 2,662 for children aged 6 years or younger
• SEK 3,064 for children aged 7 years or older.

3. Your home

3.1 Housing size and standards:

• For 2 adults without children: with kitchen or kitchenette and at least 1 extra room.
• If there are children: there must be more rooms, 2 children can share 1 bedroom.

3.2 If you rent a home

• A sub-let home is alright, but the sub-let must be approved by the landlord, housing cooperative association or regional rent tribunal.
• If one has a live-in arrangement at someone else’s residence, or lives at home with one’s parents, one is not viewed as having an acceptable type of housing.

3.3 Timeframe

• You have to be able to use the home from when your family members come to Sweden.

• You must be able to show that you have a home for at least one year to come.

More information on what documents you can prove that you meet the living conditions requirements can be found in Swedish here.

VNS Consulting would like to update you with the latest regulations, officially effective from today, July 20, 2021.

Note, this article is not a translation, but we have compiled and explained it in a more concise manner. The original source in Swedish can be found here.

Explore similar updates here

These changes mean that temporary residence permits will become the main rule and there will be new requirements to obtain a permanent residence permit. There will also be changes to who is covered by the requirement to be able to financially support oneself (the maintenance requirement) when relatives apply for residence permits.

Tempo­rary resi­dence permits are becoming the main rule

• A person applying to reunite with relatives in Sweden is only granted a temporary residence permit the first time he applies for a residence permit.
• Temporary residence permits are issued for a maximum period of 2 years at a time. You can get a permanent residence permit when you apply for a temporary residence permit extension. Since a residence permit is usually issued every 2 years, you can usually apply for a permanent residence permit as early as 4 years.
• You cannot get a permanent residence permit just because a relative received it or had it.
• If you do not meet the requirements for a permanent residence permit, you may still be able to have your residence permit extended.

New requi­re­ments for perma­nent resi­dence permits on the basis of a family tie to someone in Sweden:

To be eligible for a permanent residence permit after 20 July, you must

• Have held a residence permit for at least three years
• Be able to financially support yourself
• Be expected to live an orderly life (i.e. “leva ett skötsamt liv”).

You can receive a permanent residence permit in connection with applying for an extension. Since residence permits are most often granted for two years at a time, you can usually apply for a permanent residence permit after four years at the earliest.

If you are an adult, you must be able to financially support yourself to be eligible for a permanent residence permit. You show that you can financially support yourself with, for example, income from employment or self-employment. You cannot receive a permanent residence permit just because your family member receives one or has one. The Swedish Migration Agency cannot yet say how large your income must be to be able to receive a permanent residence permit. More information on this will be published as soon as the rules are clear.

If you do not meet the requirements for a permanent residence permit, you may still be able to receive an extended residence permit.

_{(Source: https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Moving-to-someone-in-Sweden/Nyhetsarkiv/2021-06-29-Changed-requirements-for-permanent-residence-permits-for-anyone-applying-for-a-residence-permit-on-the-basis-of-a-family-tie-to-somebody-in-Sweden.html)}

Read more about other changes here

~ VNS Consulting