Tougher family reunification rules from 1 October 2026

Sweden's stricter rules for anhöriginvandring (family members moving here to join a relative who already lives in Sweden) have been decided. The Riksdag (the Swedish parliament) voted yes to them on 13 August 2026. They start on 1 October 2026.

This matters most if your anknytningsperson (the relative in Sweden the family wants to join) holds a tidsbegränsat uppehållstillstånd (a residence permit that runs for a limited time). One date decides a lot here. Applications that reach Migrationsverket (the Swedish Migration Agency) before 1 October 2026 are judged without the new two-year requirement.

What the Riksdag decided

An anknytningsperson with a temporary permit must have lived in Sweden with a residence permit for at least two years. Only then can family get a permit. The two years must already have passed on the day the application is filed.

The two-year requirement only applies when the anknytningsperson's own permit is time-limited. The law also sets out cases where it does not apply at all.

• The anknytningsperson has been granted international protection as a refugee, and the family ties existed before the anknytningsperson came to Sweden.
• The applicant is a child born in Sweden, and the anknytningsperson is one of the child's parents and lives with the child here.
• The anknytningsperson is a child in need of protection, and the applicant is one of that child's parents.
• There are särskilda skäl (special reasons) in the individual case.

The decision is recorded in betänkande 2025/26:SfU37, which is a written proposal from a committee in the Riksdag. The Riksdag debated it on 12 August 2026 and decided the next day. The vote was taken in several parts, and the closest ended 176 to 171.

If your application is already in

The law has an övergångsbestämmelse (a rule for cases that are already under way). The two-year requirement does not apply if the application reaches Migrationsverket before 1 October 2026.

It also does not apply when you extend a residence permit you were granted on family grounds under the older rules. This part of the change is clear. What decides it is the date your application reaches Migrationsverket.

The maintenance requirement applies to extensions from 1 October 2026

The försörjningskrav (the rule that the anknytningsperson must be able to support both themselves and the family) is being widened. From 1 October 2026 it applies in more situations than today. It then also applies when you apply for a fortsatt uppehållstillstånd (an extension of a permit you already hold).

From the same day, family members of researchers face a maintenance requirement for the first time. For family of someone with an EU Blue Card or an ICT permit (a permit for staff moved to Sweden inside the same company) the requirement is not new, but from 1 October 2026 it also applies when the permit is extended.

The amounts have not changed. Migrationsverket publishes the current figures. After tax and after the rent is paid, 6 243 kronor a month must be left for one adult.

For two spouses or cohabiting partners living together the sum is 10 314 kronor. Then add 3 336 to 5 339 kronor for each child, depending on age. Barnbidrag (child benefit) is deducted from the amount for the child.

The government has said it wants to raise that level. It has not done so. The level sits in a förordning (a rule the government decides on its own), and no such change was published as of 15 August 2026.

What happens now

Migrationsverket has not yet published guidance on the new rules. Its own page about what has changed still describes this as a proposal, and gives 1 January 2027 as the start date. That page is older than the decision, so it is worth checking the date on anything you read.

The same law carries two other changes that start on 1 October 2026. Those under 21 who previously held a residence permit as a child through a parent can be granted a permit again. Some of them can also apply from inside Sweden, and that route disappears on 1 January 2028.

The two-year requirement applies to an anknytningsperson whose own permit is time-limited. If your anknytningsperson is a Swedish citizen or holds a permanent uppehållstillstånd (PUT, permanent residence permit), the two-year requirement does not apply to you. Other parts of the change can still apply to you, for example the maintenance requirement when you extend a permit.

This article describes what the law says. Migrationsverket decides which rules apply in your own family case. A difficult case is worth taking to a qualified lawyer.