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The Swedish authorities have revealed that a total of 92,000 residence permits were issued to non-EU nationals between January and December of 2024, with permits issued for work purposes accounting for the largest share.
According to the Swedish Migration Agency, 27,009 or 29 per cent of all residence permits issued throughout 2024 were granted for employment purposes. Residence permits granted for family reunification reasons followed closely, representing 26.3 per cent or 25,504 of the total number, Schengen.News reports.
The number of residence permits issued to international students was also high, with 18,453 permits issued. In total, permits granted for study purposes represented 19.8 per cent of the total number.
In addition, 14,467 or 15.6 per cent of all approved requests, came from asylum, including applicants under the Temporary Protection Directive.
8.1% of Residence Permits Were Granted to Applicants From the EU/EES
As the data published by the Migration Agency reveals, a total of 7,619 requests for residence permits filed by applicants from the 30 EU/EES countries received a positive response. About 8.7 per cent of them (663) were granted during December alone.
In general, the number of residence permits issued in December of 2024 alone amounted to 5,317, which is 5.72 per cent of all permits granted all around the year.
In December, the authorities issued a higher number of family reunification residence permits compared to other types. A total of 1,682 permits were granted for applications seeking family reunification compared to 1,363 for employment purposes.
Family reunification permits represented 31.6 per cent of the total, while residence permits for workers accounted for 25.6 per cent of all permits issued during this period.
In addition, 917 permits were granted for study purposes and another 663 to EU/EES applicants. Asylum requests approved throughout December reached 663.
Sweden Could Issue More Work Permits as It Faces Labour Shortages in These Occupations
According to the EURES report for 2023, Sweden has labour shortages across 40 occupations, with healthcare and education being some of the most affected sectors.
Foreigners who are looking into the possibility of moving to Sweden and who have one of the following professions could easily be eligible to be granted the right to work in the EU country. The list of some of the occupations that are most in demand in Sweden includes as follows:
• Drivers of buses and trams
• Food preparers, including butchers and fishmongers
• Motor vehicle mechanics and repairers
• Security personnel
• Personal care workers
• Police inspectors and detectives
• Medical secretaries and pathology laboratory technicians, dentists, nursing assistants
• Teachers, including those for early childhood education and special needs teachers
Besides the occupations that are dealing with labour shortages, there are about 95 occupations that have surpluses, indicating that those types of workers are not required in the country. Some of these occupations are elementary workers, kitchen helpers, and shelf fillers, among others.
Source: https://schengen.news/sweden-issued-92000-residence-permits-in-2024-majority-for-work/
