On 18 June 2019, the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) decided to amend and extend the Act Temporarily Restricting the Possibility to Obtain Residence Permits in Sweden. The extension applies from 20 July 2019 to 19 July 2021.
This change means that from 20 July 2019 reference persons who have been granted temporary residence permits as persons eligible for subsidiary protection will have the same opportunities for family reunification as refugees.
Refugees and persons eligible for subsidiary protection in Sweden are subject to the maintenance requirement if their close relatives do not apply for residence permits within three months of the date on which the close relative in Sweden was granted asylum.
Persons eligible for subsidiary protection who applied for asylum after 24 November 2015 and were granted a residence permit before 20 July 2019 will be exempted from the maintenance requirement if their close relatives apply for residence permits by 19 October 2019.
Residence permit applications are be submitted to the Swedish Migration Agency via the Agency's website. At the request of the Swedish Migration Agency, authorised Swedish embassies and consulates-general also conduct interviews in cases concerning residence and work permits.
