Sweden's work permit is employer-led and rule-dense: advertise, offer, union opinion, insure, file — then a salary test against the national median and a processing queue sorted by occupation and industry. Done in the right order it is predictable; done out of order it stalls. This page is the route from brief to first working day.
Since 1 June 2026 a work permit requires pay of at least 90 % of the Swedish median salary — SEK 34,470 a month for applications received from 16 June 2026, when the median became SEK 38,300 — and never below the collective-agreement rate for the role. Occupations on the Government's exemption list need 75 %, SEK 28,725. The requirement is tested at application and again at every extension against the figures and the list in force on that day; an occupation that leaves the list reverts to 90 % at the next extension. Extensions of permits granted before 1 June 2026 keep the old 80 % test until 1 December 2026.
Which of your roles are listed is a question of SSYK codes, not job titles: welders and gas cutters (7212), structural steel erectors and heavy sheet-metal workers (7215) and maintenance mechanics and machine repairers (7233) are on the list; machine-tool setters and operators (7223), electricians, carpenters and the construction trades are not. We map every role before you advertise.
There is one work permit; what differs is the queue. Since 29 January 2024 the Migration Agency has sorted applications into four handling categories by occupation and industry code — an internal processing model that replaced the employer-certification scheme, not four kinds of permit. Category A — occupations with SSYK codes beginning 1, 2 or 3, i.e. roles requiring higher education — has a 30-day target. Category B holds specific permit types (seasonal workers, intra-corporate transfers, EU Blue Cards, researchers, artists, athletes, trainees). Category C holds roles that do not require higher education in industries the Agency does not flag for in-depth investigation — most manufacturing workshops, machine shops and maintenance departments. Category D holds industries flagged by SNI code for additional investigation — construction, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, personal assistance, staffing and employer-of-record companies — and any company established for less than twelve months; it is not prioritised and processing may exceed the 120-day target.
In practice: an engineering company hiring welders plans three to five months from brief to arrival; a construction contractor plans five to seven. Both are shortened by filing complete and by preparing the Philippine side in parallel rather than afterwards.
The salary floor rose from 80 % to 90 % of the median, with 75 % for listed occupations; comprehensive health insurance became mandatory for stays of up to one year; the Agency may now refuse applications because of employer shortcomings such as certain offences or sanctions; EU Blue Cards can run up to four years. Permits granted before 1 June keep the 80 % test at extension until 1 December 2026.
Recruitment runs through our own DMW-licensed agency, Prime Search Manpower Agency Inc. in Makati (licence DMW-027-LB-11182024): your company is accredited at the Migrant Workers Office in London, which has jurisdiction for the Nordic countries, the job order is registered with the DMW, and every worker leaves Manila with a verified contract, medical clearance, pre-departure orientation and an Overseas Employment Certificate. Recruitment follows the employer-pays principle: no applicant pays for an interview, a trade test or a place on a shortlist. Your company is the employer from day one; we never employ or lease the workers.
Everything here is subject to the Aliens Act and Aliens Ordinance as amended, the Swedish Migration Agency's salary requirement and exemption list in force, the collective agreement for the sector and Philippine DMW rules.
Not formally — but the offer must match collective-agreement terms, the union still gives an opinion, and employers without an agreement are examined more closely. Most Swedish industrial employers hiring from the Philippines are bound by one.
No. The ten-day advertisement before the offer is a condition of the permit. We run selection in Manila in parallel so no time is lost.
Up to two years at a time, tied to your company and the occupation for the first 24 months; after that to the occupation. Permanent residence can be applied for after four years.
Health, life, occupational-injury and occupational-pension insurance from the first day of employment — standard under a collective agreement — and, since 1 June 2026, comprehensive health insurance for workers staying up to one year.
Not for the permit. English is the working language in many industrial companies; we arrange Swedish preparation in Manila for employers who want it.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.