On 8 July 2026 the government published a lagrådsremiss (a draft law sent to Lagrådet, the Council on Legislation, for review) proposing that a work permit (arbetstillstånd) should no longer be tied to one employer and one type of work. Nothing has changed yet: this is a proposal, not law.
Today a work permit is linked to a named employer, so changing job normally means applying for a new permit and waiting for a decision. Under the proposal, a person who already holds a work permit would not need a new permit in order to change employer.
What you would still have to do
The permit would not become a free pass. You would still have to notify Migrationsverket (the Swedish Migration Agency) when an employment ends and when a new one begins.
A longer period between jobs
The proposal also gives more room if you lose your job. Someone who has held a work permit for more than two years would get a longer omställningsperiod (a transition period to find new work) of up to six months before the permit is at risk.
Where it comes from, and when
The changes would carry an EU directive into Swedish law: the rules on a single application procedure for a combined permit to live and work, and a common set of rights for workers from outside the EU. The government proposes that the new rules start on 1 February 2027.
A lagrådsremiss is an early step. Lagrådet reviews the draft, then the government decides whether to put a proposition (a bill) to the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament), which votes on it. Details can still change before then.
This article describes a proposal. What the rules require today is unchanged, and how any change would apply to your own permit is for Migrationsverket to decide.
Sources
Official details can change. Always confirm what applies to your own case directly with the responsible authority.
