Work permit: refused because of the employer

Since 1 June 2026 Migrationsverket (the Swedish Migration Agency) can refuse an arbetstillstånd (work permit) because of the employer. You can meet every requirement yourself and still be refused.

This works the other way round. Most rules set requirements for you. This one sets requirements for the company that wants to hire you.

Three things about the employer that can stop a permit

• Certain crimes the employer has committed or is reasonably suspected of, meaning there are reasonable grounds to suspect it.
• Sanctions the employer has received for employing people without the right permit.
• Sanctions the employer has received for errors in the tax or contribution details for the job.

Migrationsverket sets out the new grounds for refusal in its news item for employers on 1 June 2026, the same day the rules started to apply.

If the job does not start within four months

The employer has to tell Migrationsverket if you have not started the job within four months of the permit being granted.

If the job does not start within those four months, the permit can be revoked. So a delay at the company can affect your permit, even though nothing in your own case has changed.

It applies to extensions as well

These grounds for refusal are not only for a first permit. Migrationsverket applies them to extension applications too.

The Riksdag (the Swedish parliament) has decided the new labour migration rules. Migrationsverket described the decision in a news item on 19 March 2026. The same rule change raised the salary requirement and added a health insurance requirement.

What this changes for you

The requirements on you as an applicant did not change on 1 June 2026. What is new is that a refusal can now also be because of the employer.

This article describes the rules. What they mean for a specific application, and for a specific employer, is something only Migrationsverket or a qualified lawyer can answer.