Family immigration from 1 October 2026: waiting period, maintenance requirement and children up to 21
The Riksdag approved on 13 August 2026 (bill 2025/26:301). Two-year waiting period for sponsors with temporary permits, tighter maintenance requirement also at extension, exemptions for labour migrants and researchers.
On 13 August 2026 the Riksdag voted in favour of government bill 2025/26:301 on tighter rules for family immigration. The new rules apply from 1 October 2026. They affect you if you live in Sweden and want a spouse, partner or child to move here — in the law you are called the sponsor (anknytningsperson).
The biggest change is a two-year waiting period. If you hold a temporary residence permit yourself, you must have lived in Sweden with a permit for two years before your family members can be granted residence permits based on their ties to you. The rule mainly hits people who received five-year permits after 12 July 2026, when PUT for asylum-related permits was abolished.
Several groups are exempt from the waiting period: labour migrants, researchers, PhD students and certain refugees. If you hold permanent residence or Swedish citizenship, no waiting period applies either. Exactly how the exemptions are applied in individual cases is decided by Migrationsverket, which will publish its guidance ahead of 1 October.
The maintenance requirement is tightened as well. You must be able to support both yourself and the family members who come, and have housing of adequate size and standard. What is new is that the requirement is also assessed at extension, not only at the first application. That means an income that disappears can affect the family’s permits when it is time to extend.
There is one relief for children: permits as a child can be granted until the child turns 21, instead of 18. This gives families where the child turns 18 during processing a better chance to reunite. Children also remain exempt from the maintenance requirement in their own case.
If you have already submitted an application before 1 October 2026, watch for information from Migrationsverket about which rules apply to pending cases. If you are able to apply for PUT — for example as a labour migrant — it may be wise to do so before inviting your family, since PUT removes the waiting period entirely.