New family immigration rules in Sweden from 1 October 2026: what changes for extensions

🇸🇪 SE · permits · 2026-10-04

Translating to Italian. Showing the English original for now.

Sweden's new rules on immigration due to family ties came into force on 1 October 2026. The main changes for couples are a higher maintenance amount, a maintenance check that now also applies when a family member extends a permit, and a two-year residence requirement for reference persons who hold a temporary residence permit. If the person in Sweden is a Swedish citizen and the relationship is well established, for example because you have lived together for a long time, the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) still lists that situation as an exemption from the maintenance requirement, both for first applications and for extensions. The exemption does not cover a child of the applicant who is not also the child of the Swedish partner. And if your permit was granted before 1 October 2026, applying for the extension by 1 October 2027 keeps the old, lower amounts.

What changed on 1 October 2026

The new rules affect the reference person, meaning the person already living in Sweden, and anyone who wants to apply for or extend a residence permit to live with that person. For couples and families, four changes matter most:

A higher maintenance amount that the reference person must have left after tax and rent.
Maintenance is checked at extension too, not only at the first application.
The family member's income can count at extension if the reference person's income is not enough.
A two-year residence requirement for reference persons who hold a temporary residence permit.

Separate rules cover young adults who came to Sweden as children and family members of employees, students and long-term residents of another EU country. This article covers partners and children. For the stricter good conduct check, see how the vandel check works.

The maintenance requirement in numbers

The reference person must show two things: that they can financially support themselves, their household and the applying family members, and that they have a home of sufficient size and standard. The money test is about what is left after tax and monthly rent, to cover food, clothing, hygiene, telephony and insurance for the household.

For first-time applications in 2026, the amounts that must be left over are:

SEK 8,116 for a single adult
SEK 13,408 for cohabiting spouses or cohabiting partners
SEK 4,337 for a child aged 0 to 6
SEK 5,205 for a child aged 7 to 10
SEK 6,074 for a child aged 11 to 14
SEK 6,941 for a child aged 15 or older

The amounts for children are reduced by any child allowance and large family supplement.

Income that counts includes salary, income from your own business and sickness benefit. You can also meet the requirement with enough money or taxable assets to support everyone for at least two years. Income from subsidised employment, unemployment insurance benefits, activity grants and other unemployment-related benefits are not counted.

The housing part is separate. You must show housing for at least one year from the date of the application that is large enough for all of you. For two adults without children, a kitchen or kitchenette and at least one room is enough. Two children can share a bedroom, and there is no minimum number of square metres. Subletting is possible if the landlord, tenant-owner association or rental board approves it, but lodging with someone else or living with your parents does not count.

Extensions: the transition until 1 October 2027

From 1 October 2026, the reference person must also meet the maintenance requirement when the family member applies to extend a permit. Three rules shape this during the transition.

Lower amounts for permits granted before 1 October 2026. If the family member's permit was granted before 1 October 2026 and the extension application is registered with Migrationsverket no later than 1 October 2027, the 2026 amounts are lower:

SEK 6,243 for a single adult
SEK 10,314 for cohabiting spouses or cohabiting partners
SEK 3,336 for a child aged 0 to 6
SEK 4,004 for a child aged 7 to 10
SEK 4,672 for a child aged 11 to 14
SEK 5,339 for a child aged 15 or older

From 2 October 2027, the agency says the increased amount will apply to all applications, including extensions.

Some benefit income may count. For extensions of permits granted before 1 October 2026, where the application reaches the agency no later than 1 October 2027, Migrationsverket says it may include certain income from subsidised employment, unemployment insurance and similar benefits that it normally excludes.

Household income at extension. At the first application, the reference person must be solely responsible for supporting the household. At extension, the agency can normally also take into account the income of family members who live in the same household.

Exemptions that still apply

Migrationsverket lists four situations where the reference person does not have to show maintenance and housing. The same four appear for first applications and for extensions:

The reference person is under 18. This does not apply if a parent is already in Sweden with the child and the applicant is the other parent. Then the parent in Sweden must meet the requirement.
The reference person is a Swedish, EU/EEA or Swiss citizen in a well-established relationship. You must be married or cohabiting partners, and the relationship must be well established, for example because you have lived together for a long time. For EU citizens' family members, see right to work before the residence card.
Refugee family reunification within three months. The reference person has refugee status, the family member applied within three months of the permit being granted, you lived together just before the move, and you cannot be reunited in a country outside the EU.
Special grounds. For example, illness or a disability that has permanently reduced the reference person's ability to work.

The second exemption has a limit: the maintenance requirement still applies if the family member has a child who moved to Sweden with them and the Swedish partner is not that child's other parent or legal guardian.

The two-year residence requirement

From 1 October 2026, a reference person who holds a temporary residence permit must have resided in Sweden with a residence permit for two years for their family to be granted residence permits. The two years must be met when the family applies.

This requirement does not apply to people with work permits, researchers, doctoral students, EU Blue Card holders, ICT permit holders, or unaccompanied minors and their parents, who are covered by other rules. For work permits, see the Swedish salary requirement. Refugees may be exempt in some situations, including when the relationship was established before they came to Sweden.

The requirement is tied to the reference person holding a temporary residence permit, so it concerns families joining someone who is in Sweden on such a permit.

FAQ

When did the new family immigration rules in Sweden start?

On 1 October 2026.

Do the new rules apply to me if my partner is a Swedish citizen?

The rules apply to everyone applying to live with a family member in Sweden, but the maintenance requirement has an exemption for Swedish, EU/EEA and Swiss citizens who are married or cohabiting in a well-established relationship. It does not cover a child of yours who is not also your partner's child.

How much money must the reference person have left in 2026?

For a first application, SEK 13,408 for cohabiting spouses or partners after tax and rent, plus the amount for each child. For an extension of a permit granted before 1 October 2026 and registered by 1 October 2027, it is SEK 10,314.

Is maintenance now checked when I extend my permit?

Yes. From 1 October 2026, the maintenance requirement also applies to extension applications, and the family member's income can normally be counted.

What housing do we need?

Housing for at least one year from the application date, large enough for everyone. Two adults need a kitchen or kitchenette and at least one room.

Who has to wait two years before their family can join?

A reference person holding a temporary residence permit, with exemptions for work permit holders, researchers, doctoral students, EU Blue Card and ICT permit holders, and some refugees.

How Jobsy fits

We build Jobsy, a job search service for Europe that searches for you: you say what work you want, and Jobsy finds employers and recruitment agencies, including in Sweden, and prepares outreach in the language of the recipient. It does not handle residence permit applications or give legal advice, so the permit questions above stay with you and Migrationsverket. The first result is free.

Sources

Sources: Migrationsverket: New rules on immigration due to family ties and young adults from 1 October · Migrationsverket: New rules for young adults and people who want to move to a family member in Sweden · Migrationsverket: Maintenance requirement for reference persons