SHARE
COPY LINK

WORKING IN SWEDEN

IN NUMBERS: How hard is it to get Sweden’s new ‘talent visa’?

It's now more than six months since Sweden brought in its new resi­dence permit for "highly quali­fied persons to look for work or start a busi­ness", so how popular has it been and how hard is it to get?

IN NUMBERS: How hard is it to get Sweden's new 'talent visa'?
A woman sits at a café and contemplates in front of her laptop. Photo: Lieselotte van der Meijs/ Imagebank Sweden

Looking at the statistics, it appears that the answer is “quite hard”. 

Firstly, the Swedish Migration Agency seems to taking its time to process applications. Of the 2,255 applications for a talent visa in 2022, only 445 had received a decision at the time this article was published. 

Secondly, only about 10 percent of applications appear to be successful. 

Of the 445 cases in 2022 which have received a decision, only 48 were granted residency, and of the 121 cases completed so far in 2023, only one extra applicant received residency. 

This may of course reflect the quality of applications rather than the strictness of the agency. For example, people who are not able to get a work or residence permit on other grounds could have attempted to get a permit via the ‘talent visa’ route despite not having the required high level of education. 

READ ALSO: How do you apply for Sweden’s new ‘talent visa’?

For a degree to count as advanced level, it must correspond to a 60-credit Master’s degree, a 120-credit Master’s degree, a professional degree worth 60-330 credits, or a postgraduate/PhD-level degree. 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

TAXES

KEY DATES: The deadlines you need to know for Swedish tax season

It's time to start thinking about your Swedish tax returns. When and how you file your taxes impacts when you get any rebate, so here are a few key deadlines to keep in mind.

KEY DATES: The deadlines you need to know for Swedish tax season

Anyone who earned above 20,431 kronor during 2022 needs to declare their income tax. You will most likely receive a tax declaration by post or in your digital mailbox if you need to declare, but check the Tax Agency’s website if you’re not sure. Below you’ll find some of the key dates to be aware of.

March 5th was the final date to create a so-called digital mailbox (digital brevlåda), which means you receive your declaration digitally rather than as a paper form sent through the post.

Between March 6th and 10th, those with digital mailboxes receive their declarations.

From March 10th, those with a digital e-ID can log in to skatteverket.se and see their declaration.

March 14th is the first date for declaring your taxes digitally. If you have a digital e-ID, you can log in to the Tax Agency’s website and fill out your declaration.

The paper declaration will be sent out between March 15th and April 15th.

March 30th is the deadline to submit your declaration online in order to receive a tax refund in April. If no changes needed to be made, people submitting it online by this date will receive any refund between April 5th and 6th.

Even if you receive the paper version, you can still fill it in digitally. The overall deadline for declaration submission is May 2nd. Everyone who met this deadline will receive any tax refund they are entitled to by June 9th.

If you on the other hand had residual tax to pay, you have to pay it by September 12th, unless it’s less than 100 kronor in which case you can put off paying it until the tax declaration season of 2024.

SHOW COMMENTS