If your employment is terminated

If you resign from your job or get laid off, there is no longer any basis for your permit. This means that your permit can be revoked and that you must leave Sweden. You can stay in Sweden and look for a new job for three months. You need to have a valid permit during that period.

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If your employment in Sweden is terminated while you have a permit to work here

If your employment is terminated while you have a permit to work in Sweden, there is no longer any basis for a permit. This means that your permit can be revoked and that you must leave Sweden.

If you want to continue working in Sweden

If you want to continue working in Sweden, you can stay here to look for a new job for three months without having your permit revoked. These three months are counted from the day your employment is terminated.

If you have less than three months left on your permit’s period of validity when your employment is terminated, you need to find a new job before the permit expires.

If you do not find a new job, the Swedish Migration Agency may revoke your permit.

If you find a new job

If you find a new job, you must apply for a new work permit.

You can start working for your new employer as soon as your application is submitted. Please note that you must apply before your previous permit expires.

Your new job needs to meet the conditions for being granted a work permit. Your new employer must have advertised the position in Sweden and within the EU/EEA and Switzerland before you enter into an employment agreement and start your job.

Read more about what is required to get a work permit and how to apply

If you find a new job in the same profession, you do not need to apply for a new work permit, as long as your current permit is valid.

If your new job is in another profession, you must apply for a work permit. You can start working for your new employer as soon as your application is submitted. Please note that you must apply before your previous permit expires.

Your new job needs to meet the conditions for being granted a work permit.

Your new employer must have advertised the position in Sweden and within the EU/EEA and Switzerland before you enter into an employment agreement and start your job.

Read more about what is required to get a work permit and how to apply

If you want to leave Sweden

If you want to leave Sweden after your employment has been terminated, you should contact the Swedish Migration Agency.

Example

Picture of a blond woman with a blue shirt and a cap.

Olga has received a two-year work permit for work limited to electricians working at the company Static Electricity. After a few months working there, she is given notice that she is being laid off. Olga’s employment is terminated a month later.

Olga wants to continue working in Sweden for the remainder of her permit’s period of validity. To avoid having her permit revoked, she must find a new job within three months of the end of the employment relationship.

Two months later, she finds a new job as an electrician at the company Dynamic Electricity. She submits a new application for a work permit.

Once the new application has been received by the Swedish Migration Agency, Olga can start her new job. In order for the new application to be granted, Olga’s new job must meet the conditions for work permits.

Picture of a man with black hair and a yellow t-shirt.

David has worked as an IT technician at the company Computer Company for two years. He has been granted an extended work permit for another two years, to continue working for the company. His new work permit is limited to IT technicians.

A few months later, David is given notice that he is being laid off, and his employment is terminated a month later. To avoid having his permit revoked, David must find a new job within three months of the end of the employment relationship.

After a month, David finds a new job as an IT technician at the company Computer Check. Since David’s work permit is limited to IT technicians, he does not need to apply for a new work permit for the remainder of his permit’s period of validity. He can start his new job right away.

Please note that even though David does not need to apply for a new permit, his new job must still meet the conditions for work permits.

Frequently asked questions

The limitations to your permit are stated on the decision granting you your permit, as well as on your residence permit card.

An application that is received after the previous permit has expired is not considered to be an application for an extended permit, and is instead examined as a new application. This means that you may have to leave Sweden in order for your new application to be considered. You are not allowed to work in Sweden while you wait for a decision.

The three-month period for finding a new job only applies if you have entered Sweden and started your job.

No. The three-month period only applies if you have a valid work permit.

If you are waiting for an extension of the permit you were granted on the basis of the employment relationship that has now ended, there are no longer any grounds for the permit. This means that your permit for work in Sweden will not be extended. If you find a new job during the processing time, you need to submit your new employment contract as soon as possible.

Family members can continue to stay in Sweden for as long as you are allowed to remain here, provided that they also have a valid permit in Sweden.

Film: What happens to your permit if your employment ends?

Watch our studio broadcast on what happens to your permit if your employment ends (in Swedish).

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