The Swedish Migration Agency answers: Other rules when children become adults
The provisions on family reunification/immigration are based on the idea that families should be kept together – therefore the issue is emotionally charged and raises certain questions when a young adult is to be deported while the rest of the family is allowed to stay in Sweden. How can that happen? In this article, we will answer questions about people who reach adulthood and are no longer subject to the rules on family reunification.
Moving to live with a relative is one of the largest categories where people are granted a residence permit in Sweden. This is done in accordance with the legislation decided by the Riksdag, and the circle of relatives that can be reunited with family includes children and spouses/partners.
Family reunification for different types of permits
There are different types of permits that can provide the opportunity for family members to come to Sweden – for example, a parent may have received a residence permit due to protected status, work or studies. The parent must then have a residence permit in Sweden and anyone who wants to accompany or reunite with the family member must apply for and be granted a residence permit before the relative can come to Sweden.
The Swedish Migration Agency answers: In what ways can you move to Sweden to be with your family?
The requirements for being reunited with a family member differ, for example, for those in need of subsidiary protection and workers. An important difference in this context relates to the age limit for being included in the family circle as a relative.
18-year age limit for family ties
For example, if a parent has been granted protection in Sweden and the child is granted a residence permit due to close family ties, the rules change on the day the child turns 18. After reaching 18, the individual is no longer part of the circle of relatives who can be granted a residence permit as a child.
21 year limit for children of certain workers
For children who are co-applicants of workers, the age limit is instead 21 years. There are exceptions for certain groups of workers: for those with EU Blue Cards, ICTs, self-employed workers and researchers, the age limit is 18 years. If the parent is granted a permanent residence permit, children are no longer examined as co-applicants of workers but according to “ordinary” rules on ties; then the age limit is 18 years.
Adult children of workers may be granted a residence permit if they are dependent on the parent or their spouse/cohabitating partner for their livelihood, even if they are over 21 years of age.
For students (who have similar rules in several respects), accompanying children under the age of 18 may be granted a residence permit based on the fact that a parent has a residence permit for studies.
Difference Between Temporary and Permanent Residence Permits
The fact that an accompanying child turns 18 has become particularly important since 2021, since the main rule was changed that year from permanent residence permits to temporary permits.
As a result, everyone with a temporary residence permit must renew it, but a child who has been granted a residence permit can normally not be granted a temporary residence permit as a child after reaching the age of 18. And since you must have had a residence permit for at least three years in order to obtain a permanent residence permit, this means that older teen children who come to Sweden based on family ties may find it difficult to obtain an extended or permanent residence permit on those grounds.
For those 18 years of age and older who cannot be granted a residence permit based on family ties, it is possible to apply for a residence permit on other grounds. For example, if you have individual grounds for protection, you can be granted protection. If you work or study, one option is to apply for a residence permit for this, but then the main rule is to apply from abroad. In certain exceptional cases, permits may be granted under the change of status rules.
Joint household in exceptional cases
In exceptional cases, children who have reached the age of 18 may be granted a residence permit to reunite with or remain with their parents in Sweden if there is a special dependency between them. The case is then examined as a so-called joint household. Rigorous requirements must be met when examining this question, and a child-parent relationship is not enough.
Residence permit for parent or other family member
Exceptions for exceptionally distressing circumstances
When the Swedish Migration Agency does not grant a residence permit for family ties or any other reason – for example because a child has reached the age of 18 – the authority makes an assessment of, among other things, whether there are exceptionally distressing circumstances, because an applicant can still be granted a residence permit in such cases. This assessment is done in all cases where the applicant is located in Sweden, but it is strictly done in exceptional cases. Then the Swedish Migration Agency can consider factors such as personal circumstances, adaptation to Sweden and the situation in the home country.
However, it is not enough in the assessment of exceptionally distressing circumstances that you are close family members. The assessment takes into account, for example, conduct, period of residence, adaptation, ties to Sweden, ties to the home country.
If you are already in Sweden and want to apply for a residence permit to live with someone in Sweden
How do processing times affect the examination of the case
The average processing time for family ties cases is over one year, for first-time family ties cases in 2024 it was around 400 days. For extension cases, the average processing time was 200 days last year. In 2025, the Swedish Migration Agency will make decisions on more family ties cases than we receive, which means that more people will receive decisions faster.
As a rule, it is the applicant’s age at the time of the decision that applies, not at the time of the application. This may be significant for your case, not least given the Swedish Migration Agency's processing times in family ties cases.
The Swedish Migration Agency does not process cases in order based on when they are received, but rather it depends on what type of application it is and what the application looks like: if the application needs to be supplemented, if an oral investigation needs to be done, or if the application for various reasons needs to be investigated further.