Sweden: Siltanews – News Desk
Starting January 1, 2025, highly qualified foreign workers will be able to obtain Sweden’s EU Blue Card under less strict conditions. The salary threshold to be eligible for the EU Blue Card will be lowered from 1.5 times to 1.25 times the average gross annual salary and a larger group of highly qualified workers will be eligible for an EU Blue Card starting next year.
The parliament and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden, Riksdag, has decided to implement the EU’s new Blue Card Directive in the Swedish law. This change means that starting January 1, 2025, foreign highly qualified workers will be able to obtain Sweden’s EU Blue Card under more simplified rules and will enjoy more favorable conditions.
Announcing the new rules, the Head of the Migration Law Unit, Susanna Fonsell, said that Sweden aims to attract and retain more foreign talent. The same noted that the country will be providing more opportunities. The change aims to attract and retain highly skilled workers by giving more opportunities and at the same time making it easier to apply for an EU Blue Card, which can lead to an increase in the number of cases.
One of the most important adjustments is that starting in 2025, the salary threshold to be eligible for Sweden’s EU Blue Card will be lowered from the current 1.5 times to 1.25 times the average gross annual salary.
Moreover, a larger group of highly qualified workers from non-EU countries will be able to obtain the document, and they will have the possibility to switch to another highly qualified employment without having to apply for a new EU Blue Card by only notifying the Migration Agency on the new work.
Sweden has also decided to halve the length of the employment contract to obtain an EU Blue Card from the current one year to six months. In addition to the above-mentioned, Sweden has decided to extend the possibility of allowing those eligible to switch from other types of residence permits to an EU Blue Card without having to leave the country.
Last but not least, starting next month, highly qualified workers who have been holding an EU Blue Card issued by another member state for the last 12 months will be able to apply for an EU Blue Card in Sweden under a slightly simplified procedure.
The Swedish authorities revealed earlier in November of this year that applications filed by foreign nationals for an EU Blue Card are being processed within a shorter period of time. By making such a change, the Swedish authorities suggested that they want to make the country more attractive to foreign highly qualified workers and keep talent within its territory.