A refused Swedish work permit is not the end of the line, but the deadline is short, and the appeal first goes back to the authority that decided your case, so read your decision letter and act quickly.

In short: you appeal through the Migration Agency within the deadline in your decision, usually three weeks; the Agency re-checks the case and, if it does not change it, forwards it to the Migration Court.

Who Decides and How the Appeal Works

The Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) decides work and residence permits. To appeal, you submit your appeal to the Migration Agency, normally within three weeks of receiving the decision. The Agency first assesses whether its own decision was wrong and can replace it; if it does not, it forwards your appeal to the Migration Court (Migrationsdomstolen), which decides independently. Appealing is free of charge.

If the Migration Court Rejects You

If the Migration Court rules against you, you can appeal to the Migration Court of Appeal (Migrationsöverdomstolen), but only if it grants leave to appeal. Leave is rarely given and usually only where the law needs clarification, so most cases end at the Migration Court.

Visa Refusals at the Embassy

If a Swedish visa was refused at an embassy, your written, signed appeal must reach that embassy within three weeks of the decision, and it can be written in Swedish or English.

Reapplying

You can submit a fresh application at any time with improved documentation. Where a clear gap caused the refusal, a corrected application can be more practical than an appeal that the court is unlikely to overturn.

Common Reasons Swedish Work Permits Are Refused

• Pay or terms below the level required for the role.
• Missing insurance such as health, life, or pension cover.
• The job not advertised as required before the offer.
• Incomplete or inconsistent documents.
• Doubts about the employer or the genuineness of the role.

Official Sources

Always confirm the current process and your deadline on the Swedish Migration Agency website and the instructions in your own decision.