Sweden Grants Over 7,000 Residence Permits for Family Reunification in Q1 2025

In the first quarter of 2025, Sweden issued 7,379 residence permits for family reunification, making it the most common basis for residence permits during this period. The total number of residence permits granted between January and March exceeded 18,000.​

Key Categories of Residence Permits in Q1 2025:
- Family Reunification: 7,379
- Asylum (including Temporary Protection): 6,872
- EU/EEA Citizens: 3,167
- Work: 296
- Study: 290
- Impediments to Enforcement: 27​

In March 2025 alone, 2,542 permits were granted for family reunification, 2,394 for asylum seekers, 938 for EU/EEA citizens, 106 for work, and 105 for study purposes.​

Significant Increase in Permits for EU/EEA Citizens

Notably, the number of residence permits issued to EU/EEA citizens saw a substantial rise: only 49 such permits were granted throughout 2024, whereas 3,167 were issued in the first three months of 2025.​

Low Numbers for Work and Study Permits

Work and study permits remain low, with 296 and 290 issued respectively in Q1 2025. However, these figures represent an increase compared to the same period in 2024, which saw 49 work permits and 90 study permits granted.​

Sweden's Migration Policy Context

Since 2022, Sweden has implemented stricter migration policies, including:​
- Issuing only temporary residence permits for refugees
- Tightening family reunification rules
- Raising income requirements for work permits
- Planning to introduce language and integration tests for citizenship applicants​

These measures aim to reduce the number of migrants and improve the integration of those already in the country.​