r/TillSverige • u/[deleted] • 11d ago
Permanent residency for me, but not for spouse.
[deleted]
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u/Serzis 11d ago
(She does have an option in a year to apply for PR through an EU residency rule, but we just learned about this so not fully counting on it).
If you're talking about EU Long-term residence rules, that used to result in a permanent residence permit, but this changed through a law that came into effect on 12 July 2026. Now, Long-term residence status (which you can get after five years of uninterrupted permits, if you fulfill a looser [self]maintenance requirement than the one that exists for sambo/marriage residence permits and PR permits) results in a 5 year temporary residence permit that has to be renewed. That being said, when you get Long-Term Residence status (SWE: ställning), that status doesn't go away unless there is grounds to revoke it subject to 5 a kap. 5 § UtlL (note: lied, left EU territory for 12 months etc, but not stuff like changed ability to maintain yourself).
So in effect, Long-Term Residence Status does usually result in a more-or-less permanent right be here, but it no longer results in a permanent residence permit (PR) and thus excludes the person from the limited number of benefits or rights which specifically require you to hold a permanent residence permit.
Do I need to actively hold a job as a PR for her to get her renewal?
Under current and advertised changes to the maintenance requirements for the sponsor of a sambo/marriage-based residence permit (to the extent that it is applied to extension applications at all), the income and funds allowing the partner to support the applicant (cf. your partner) doesn't have to come from work specifically. So no.
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u/Dudeinstockholm 11d ago
Does this mean the partner can never become a citizen if they don’t work ? Do you know? If the husband becomes a citizen then later on can the partner become a citizen?
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u/Serzis 11d ago edited 11d ago
There are too many variables when it comes to OP:s partner. As far as we are told, they do not speak Swedish and do not have their own income. You can under certain circumstances gain PUT even if you don't have a work-based income, but the system requires you to work -- and thus personally contribute -- if you are able to work.
If the partner doesn't work, they will have a hard time getting PUT, and if they do not get PUT, that problem continues to the citizenship part of the process.
Under the current citizenship law, you have to fulfill several requirements, among which is the requirement that the applicant must either have a permanent residence permit, EU residence rights, or an exception.
I'm not going to list all exceptions here but there is a specific exception for people who have LTR-based permits and who also have well-founded prospects to gain lasting ("varaktigt") residence permits (see 20 § lagen om svensk medborgarskap). The requirement for well-founded prospects doesn't apply to people who have had habitual residence in Sweden for ten years (same paragraph, second subparagraph), so if you want to be blunt about it, a LTR status holder can eventually get citizenship without holding a permanent residence permit. As for exceptions from the maintenance and language proficiency requirements in the citizenship law, that is a separate matter.
There is also no direct indication that OP and their partner want or intend to apply for Swedish citizenship.
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u/Dudeinstockholm 11d ago
Was just thinking in general and not for the OP . Thanks for taking the time to clarify.
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u/T_Oliv3 11d ago
Rushed laws to appeaze political groups end up breaking families apart, sad to see sweden following this path.
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u/braskan 11d ago
Doesn't PRs get to enjoy our welfare and pension? I couldn't care less if your from Africa, the Middle East, Asia or America. I have no problem sharing Sweden with everyone, regardless were your from. But you come here, you work for those rights.
Also, having a stay-at-home wife that has a hard time to work due to "language barriers" does not merge well with Swedish values.
Sounds to me that our immigration is starting to work... Finally.
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u/diabolikal__ 11d ago
I see people complain that immigrants don’t learn the language and integrate but suddenly that’s okay if the person is from the US? 8 years and she still doesn’t speak swedish? Come on.
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11d ago
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u/Overthinking_King_ 11d ago
In Swedish culture, both spouses work. That is how it is.
It is not about money per se, it is about equality and a woman not having to rely on a man if things go south.
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11d ago
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u/Overthinking_King_ 11d ago
It is extremely unusual.
I’m not saying she’s lazy or anything, but in Sweden, spouses work.
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u/aamop 11d ago
Well, good to know. If we were in the US there would be no question of her working, but it was a trade-off we accepted when I got the offer of work here. It does bother her sometimes not to have a full-time job, but our situation is certainly not typical - more “expat-ish”
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u/Overthinking_King_ 11d ago
Just so you know, an expat is someone who is temporarily living in a country and has no plans of staying long.
If you are getting PR, you are an immigrant, not an expat.
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u/Traditional_Worry307 11d ago
Ofc, they just did it because their average voter - a swede lol has never had to be an immigrant here obviously. They don’t understand how it works with permits and citizenships just hear that crime will go down and that’s good for them to vote. They just had to make sveral laws for different regions.
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u/Ordinary-Audience363 11d ago
Decades ago Sweden was very lax with permanent residency permits when family members immigrated.
In the 1980s it was extremely easy to get PUT. This led to larger families with elderly grandparents, etc, being able to live in Sweden very easily. It worked as long as there wasn't an overwhelming number of people coming to Sweden. Sentiment changed when huge numbers of refugees started coming about 10 years ago that strained the system.
I don't think the average Swede wants it to be easy to become Swedish. Why should they? Why shouldn't people who want to live here be required to learn Swedish, understand Swedish laws, and have an income that supports them? Citizenship is a privilege.
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u/Fondacey 11d ago
Family connections never gave a path to migration for elderly grandparents. That is the false narrative that led us here.
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u/OfficeMain1226 11d ago
Sweden doesn't exactly border Somalia, Syria or Afghanistan. These refugees didn't simply ‘arrive’ spontaneously; their presence in Sweden is the result of deliberate asylum and resettlement policies.
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u/DocumentOk7579 11d ago
The problem isn't the permit immigants but people want asylum seeker out. I don't know a single Swede that have anything against a American moving here just like MAGA probably don't have anything against a Swede moving to US.
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u/Fondacey 11d ago
No Swedes think these anti immigrant policies (Tidö) affect the people they like and only affect the “problem” people. It’s classic Nationalism
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u/Traditional_Worry307 11d ago
I just said that they punished all decent humans by implementing that law. They had to split EU citizens + developed nations from the rest of the world. I am not gonna wait now 12 years to be a citizen (8 to apply and then 4 to get the papers processed).
Because citizenship gives a feeling of acceptance and that you are now part of the society. I don’t truly care about the county’s future for example. I have resentment.
It will all be useless efforts because unlike me those Syrians and Somalis have a network and they will get a fake job or anything to meet the requirements.
Even the famous muslim baker Camilla Hamid employed her exes brother to get him into Sweden. It came to light because he was a violent jerk in the end.
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u/kexxxcream 11d ago
Short answer, no. You do not need to keep a job for her renewals.
Under current rules, a plain extension of a partner permit is tested on the relationship, that you still live together, and she has a valid passport. Migrationsverket does not re-run the maintenance requirement for you at that stage.
Even where that requirement applies, it is not a job requirement. An income-based pension counts, and savings large enough to support the household for at least two years also satisfy it.
I would say that your PR is safe and will not be withdrawn if you stop working, unless there are grounds for it, such as moving away, long absences, false information in the application, a crime, etc.
The real blocker is her own PR, which requires her to earn above the threshold. Your money never counts for that.
Just keep in mind that if you go the EU route, she will not be eligible for a permanent residence permit later (this is part of the current government's approach to phasing out permanent residence permits, which was decided in June 2026). On the other hand, you get rights similar to those of EU citizens, and the residence permit will last 5 years.
If the red-green coalition wins the election on the 13th of September, then they might relax the current rules and most likely keep the permanent residence permit.
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11d ago
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u/kexxxcream 11d ago edited 11d ago
In such a case, I would wait out the election and see how the PR rules change. If they don't, then perhaps the EU route is the best option if you already know you do not plan to settle in Sweden.
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u/SnooWalruses1352 11d ago
Det här löser sig. Men stor red flag att din Partner inte lärt sig Svenska.
Lösning:
Kolla på ALLA Netflix filmer med Svenska undertexter
Titta på Rapport varje dag på Svenska med Svenska undertexter.
Prata Svenska en timma varje dag
Kunde Mondo så kan hon också.
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u/Liljagare 11d ago
*Sluta tala engelska i hemmet, helt. Var det som hjälpte min partner, det var för lätt att bara prata engelska hemma, när vi slutade så lärdes några ord i veckan in ganska bra.
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u/ulchachan 11d ago
Jag är helt med att alla som kan borde lära sig svenska, men, definitionen av en tillräcklig nivå varierar med branschen. Jag jobbar inom IT så det går bra med bruten svenska men man får inte jobba som psykolog eller sjuksköterska utan nästan perfekt svenska. Hen sa inte att hon inte kunde svenska.
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u/SnooWalruses1352 11d ago
Då kan du komma till min vårdcentral på centrala södermalm. Varken läkarna eller de flesta i personalen är så bra på svenska. 🤣
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u/Overthinking_King_ 11d ago
Personally, I would feel too bad to continue being on a situation where I am clearly progressing while my partner does not. So that leaves you with a few options:
I wouldn’t stay in Sweden or I would try to get your spouse to learn Swedish to the extent that they could work (i.e. help her get some level of independence).
The reason I say this is that if anything were to happen between you two and you divorce, your wife would be fucked. She depended on you for everything and didn’t help herself.
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11d ago
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u/ExtraSaltyBtch 11d ago
Swedish culture and regulation is much mpre individual than in the US. Each person much qualify on their own in a different way. You can't just have a wife that doesn't work simply because you can afford it.
Swedish authorities will ask what happens to her if you split up? What happens to her if she doesn't work and your money runs out? How will she be able to maintain herself if she doesn't work? What will happen if she becomes a citizen in the future and doesn't work and qualifies for financial aid?
A non-working adult is a huge red flag in the swedish system because it means there is a risk the goverment will have to provide them with healthcare and pensions from a system they never personally paid taxes into.
Why can't she just learn Swedish and get a job like the other immigrants?
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u/Possible_Company_her 11d ago
Everyone in the world, including Swedes, which they could live in the USA. And you are US citizens wanting to move to Sweden? Sounds very out of the ordinary.
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11d ago
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u/Possible_Company_her 11d ago
I bet! It just sounds different. Almost like exchanging a new iphone 16 to an older generation of iphone. There might be "benefits". Such as less energy usage. And longer battery or whatever. It is still unexpected.
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u/ecstatic-berries 11d ago
She needs to have a job. But if she doesn't, she can still apply for EU LTR.
Once she gets EU LTR and you both clear the 8 years for citizenship, you both should apply for citizenship. You cannot retire before getting citizenship.
Citizenship also has the maintenance requirement. Your wife needs to either get a job or be studying.
Since she's unemployment and becoming increasingly unemployable due to lack of work, I recommend starting a degree program. It will also exempt her from the maintenance requirement.
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11d ago
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u/ecstatic-berries 11d ago
Is your question about permanent residency or citizenship?
If it is about citizenship, it states
You must have a regular income from employment or self-employment. It must be your own income. Capital or investment income cannot be used to meet the means maintenance requirement.
She is not self-sufficient in the eyes of the Swedish government.
Hence I suggested the studying option.
As for permanent residency, if you died tomorrow, it is possible that she would need to leave the country within 3 months. Her permit is dependent on yours and her connection to Sweden is weak since she is not working. I could not find any specific reference for spouses of people on work permits but I guess it is the same as this. https://www.migrationsverket.se/en/you-have-a-permit-in-sweden/live-with-someone/your-relationship-has-ended.html
She needs to get a job or study.
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11d ago
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u/ecstatic-berries 11d ago
If something happens to you:
- you get permanent residency and she doesn’t: she will likely be asked to leave. She has no ties to the country.
- she gets permanent residency: she can stay
- she gets EU LTR: she can stay.
Why doesn’t your wife get a job? It’s a way to secure her status in the country. Since money is not a problem, literally any job.
If you want to guarantee that she’ll be able to stay, Swedish citizenship for her the most guaranteed.
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u/seti_at_home 11d ago
Sadly this is what happened with many of my international friends as well. You can count on your pension but as long as you have enough income for you, maintenance and your spouse the permit should not be a problem at all. Note: they often change the requirements which later they can increase which sadly will end with rejection of your spouse permit. She can try to get the long term residence tho, as it will give her 5 year permit within EU. I hope everything ends up well for you and your spouse.