Working while you wait for a decision

Applying for asylum does not by itself give you the right to work. You need an exemption from the work permit requirement, known as AT-UND.

A new Reception Act took effect on 1 October 2026 and changed when that exemption can be granted:

• Migrationsverket can grant you access to the labour market only if it has not decided your case within six months of registering your application.
• The delay must not be caused by you, and the other conditions must also be met. Migrationsverket assesses them in your case.
• If you already had AT-UND before 1 October 2026, you generally keep it, though in some cases it can end.

People from Ukraine with temporary protection are not affected by these rules; their permit already includes the right to work.

Everyone who applies for asylum receives an application card from Migrationsverket. It replaced the old LMA card, and all LMA cards were to be swapped by 1 October 2026.

The card shows your photo and case number, and whether you have AT-UND. It is valid for one year; if your case is still open after that, you apply for a new card. It is not an identity document; it proves that you have applied and may stay while you wait.

Employers scan the QR code on the card. It shows, at the moment of scanning, whether the card is valid, whether you have AT-UND and how long it lasts. Because that can change, employers must check regularly, not just on your first day. When they hire you, they send a registration form to the Migrationsverket reception unit where you are registered, and they must tell Migrationsverket when your employment ends.

Tax registration and a coordination number. As soon as you have a job offer, book an identity check at a government service centre so Skatteverket, the Swedish Tax Agency, can give you a coordination number (samordningsnummer). Bring your passport or national ID card. You also have to register for preliminary A-tax or apply for SINK, the special income tax for non-residents, depending on your tax situation; you can do that at the same visit if you have not already.

You can be paid before the paperwork is done. If you have the right to work, your employer can start paying your salary before Skatteverket has decided on A-tax or SINK. Show your employer the tax decision, and the decision on your coordination number, as soon as each arrives, so the right amount of tax is deducted from then on. Skatteverket's page for people new in Sweden who will be employed explains both routes.

Open your own bank account. Your employer cannot pay your salary onto the payment card Migrationsverket gives you, so you need an account of your own.

Tell Migrationsverket. If you or your partner get the right to work and start a job, your financial situation has changed and you must report it. Migrationsverket's page does not say that your aid stops automatically, but it is based on your finances. If you live in housing arranged by Migrationsverket or a municipality and have an income, you pay for the accommodation and any meals included. Giving incorrect information about your finances means paying the money back, and suspected benefit fraud can be reported to the police. The details are on Migrationsverket's financial aid page.

Once you are employed, the same basic rights at work apply to you as to everyone else. Our guide to rights and obligations at work explains them.

Even before you may work, you can prepare.

• Gather your documents. Diplomas, transcripts, employment certificates, publication lists and reference letters. Keep copies, and get key documents translated if you can.
• Create a skills profile. Arbetsförmedlingen has a version of its skills profile for asylum seekers and new arrivals. You log in with a username and password, it is available in seven languages, and you do not need to be registered as a jobseeker. Employers can find you once you publish it.
• Start on Swedish. Migrationsverket's activities page lists free options, including online Swedish through Information Sverige and courses run by study associations, folk high schools and non-profits. Your Unit for Reception knows what runs near you. See our Swedish guide for free self-study tools.

The Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) helps employers understand foreign degrees. Its Qualification Assessment Tool shows what your degree corresponds to in Sweden and gives you a PDF to attach to job applications. For a personal recognition statement, you apply online with your documents.

If your profession is regulated, such as doctor, nurse, dentist or psychologist, you apply to the responsible authority instead. For health professions that is Socialstyrelsen, and its first step, assessing your education, does not require Swedish. Starting that step while you wait can save months later.

If you meet Arbetsförmedlingen for a planning meeting, bring your certificates and transcripts. Having your grades translated is possible, and the adviser will judge, case by case, whether your documents need a formal assessment.

Professionals with a degree or specialist experience can also create a Hejobb account and add their CV now, so it is ready when they are allowed to apply.

If your application is approved, you receive a residence permit that lets you work for as long as it is valid. Continue with our guide on what to do after your residence permit.

If your application is rejected, you can no longer switch to a work permit from inside Sweden. That route, called a change of track (spårbyte), was abolished on 1 April 2025. Anyone in that situation who wants a work permit has to leave Sweden and apply from abroad.