What's the policy?
A Swedish government inquiry recommended in February 2024 that the government bring in a new work permit system, with the minimum salary applicants need to be eligible for a work permit set at the Swedish median wage, and a system of exemptions for in-demand professions typically paid below median wage.
The new system was supposed to come into force in June 2025.
What's happened since the inquiry conclusions?
Officially, very little. The conclusions were sent out for consultation and the proposals received damning criticism from the Confederation of Swedish Industry, Swedish regions, and a long list of big Swedish businesses by the deadline in April 2024.
Normally in Sweden, the next stage would be for the government to sent a draft bill to the Council of Legislation, after which it would send a bill to parliament to be voted through, perhaps with some amendments.
But this has not happened. The policy has been in limbo for more than a year.
We can guess that the Liberal Party, and perhaps also the Moderate Party, both of which are pro-business, are being heavily lobbied by businesses not to bring in the higher threshold.
The delays may also result from disagreements between these parties and the Sweden Democrats about how high the new threshold should be and how many roles should be exempted.
What's the background to the law?
In the run-up to the 2022 general election, the Christian Democrats, Moderates, and Sweden Democrats all campaigned on tougher work permit rules, with the Christian Democrats pledging to raise the salary threshold to the full Swedish median salary, the Moderates to 85 percent of the median salary, and the Sweden Democrats to 'around 30,000 kronor'.
Once they won the election, they agreed in their coalition deal with the Sweden Democrats, the Tidö Agreement, that "the starting point" would be to raise the minimum salary for a work permit to the median salary, with "the exact level to be recommended by a government inquiry".
What's happened since the government took power?
On taking power in October 2022 the government rapidly put a bill through parliament, originally prepared by the former Social Democrat government, empowering the government to raise the minimum salary for a work permit at the time of its choosing and to whatever level it chose.
But although the then Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said she would do this "as soon as possible", the government in fact delayed doing so until November 2023, when it increased the minimum salary for a work permit to 80 percent of the median salary.
In February 2023, it appointed the enquiry on raising the minimum salary to the median, receiving the report's conclusions in February 2024.
In February 2025, the government instructed the Migration Agency to prepare a list of professions which could be exempted from the new threshold, asking the Swedish Public Employment Service to support it.
At the same time, Sweden's then employment minister Mats Persson, called for the work permit salary threshold to be reduced from 80 percent of the median salary.
In May 2025, Sweden's migration minister, Johan Forssell, said that 'no formal decision' had been made on the new salary threshold. In July 2025, the Migration Agency published its list of 152 professions that could potentially be exempted.
On August 18th, Sweden's employment minister, Johan Britz called for the government to "pull the handbrake" on the law, arguing it would be damaging to Swedish businesses. He also laid out his objection to the law in this short interview with The Local.
What's next?
It's hard to know. Is it a big enough issue for the far-right Sweden Democrats, on whom the government is totally reliant for its majority, to put its foot down? Will the pressure from business groups on the Liberal and Moderate parties to abandon the policy be so strong that they are willing to confront their powerful support party?
Is there a bill already prepared but blocked by the disagreement? Is one being prepared for this autumn? The Local has contacted all of the parties trying to find out.
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