During 2015 the number of refugees arriving in Sweden increased dramatically, which put unprecedented pressure on the Swedish system for integration. To relieve this pressure the Swedish parliament has tightened the border controls and limited the duration of all residency permits given out to asylum seekers under the coming three years. From the 20th of July 2016 Sweden they also raised the requirements for all family related residency permits.

 

According to the new rules, anyone who wishes to sponsor a close family member for a Swedish residency permit must be able to show that they have sufficient income and housing to meet the basic needs of both themselves and the person(s) they want to bring to Sweden. The income requirements used by the Migration Board have been set at subsistence level, with a monthly income requirement of just SEK 7,729 after tax for a couple without children. The individuals cost of housing is added to the basic requirement, but the new rules are not expected to affect most guest workers beyond the need of providing additional documentation since union enforced informal minimum salaries in most segments of the Swedish labor market are significantly higher than minimum subsistence incomes prescribed by the rules. The legal change, however, is expected to diminish the amount of family immigration connected to refugees still subsisting on social welfare.