Today, it is required that persons from countries outside the EU earn 80 percent of the Swedish median salary to obtain a work permit. The parties in the Riksdag want to raise that limit to 100 percent, which corresponds to a salary of 37,100 kronor.
The government has previously announced that certain occupations will be exempted if the proposal is implemented. Now, the Migration Agency and the Employment Service have submitted a list of proposals for 152 occupations that may be exempt.
We have just received it, so we will look at it. When we make such changes, we must have facts on the table, says Minister for Migration Johan Forsell (M), who emphasizes that it is not clear whether the salary requirement will be implemented.
Points out certain occupations
The authorities particularly point out certain occupations – cleaners, cooks, and waiters. According to the Migration Agency, there is a skills shortage in these occupations, which could motivate them to be exempt from the salary requirement.
But the agency also sees a risk of exploitation and abuse linked to these occupations. This is something that the government will consider if the government decides to raise the salary requirement, according to Forsell.
An important part is to get rid of cheating and abuse. We are coming from a system where you could labor immigrate with a salary level of 13,000 kronor per month, and that had very damaging effects. We do not want that to happen, says Johan Forsell.
Maybe won't get salary
Abuse can involve exploiting the Migration Agency's review process to obtain, for example, a work permit. Exploitation can also manifest itself in many ways, according to Hanna Geurtsen, deputy mission manager for work permits at the Migration Agency.
It can be that you don't get a salary, that you force someone to work under poor conditions or even that it can be criminal and punishable – that is, forced labor and human trafficking. But in common is that the employee's rights are set aside, she says to TT.
