What happened
Migrationsverket granted just under 94,000 residence permits to first-time applicants in 2024, compared with approximately 102,000 in 2023. The largest decrease occurred in work permits, which dropped from approximately 36,000 to around 27,000 following, among other things, increased maintenance requirements. Permits for protection decreased to approximately 15,500, of which approximately 11,000 applied to people from Ukraine through the Temporary Protection Directive. In contrast, residence permits for studies increased to just over 18,000, while the number of granted citizenships fell slightly to just under 66,000.
Our analysis
The figures clearly show how migration to Sweden is being redirected. The agency and the government celebrate the decrease as a result of stricter controls and more detention orders. In practice, the door is closed to people who want to come here and work in ordinary professions, while high-income earners are offered a thirty-day fast track. Work is often praised as the way into society, but the rule only seems to apply as long as the wallet is already full before the journey begins.
Explained
A residence permit gives a person the right to live in Sweden for a certain period of time or permanently. Maintenance requirements mean that you must earn a certain specified salary to receive a permit to work in the country.
Source: Migrationsverket