Sweden

(Work in early progress)

Why Sweden?

Sweden has been one of the most progressive countries in Europe when it comes to citizens rights and in particular the LGBT+ community. Whilst today, like much of Europe, it has shifted to the political right the everyday life of trans people is a generally a positive one particularly in the cities and towns. Although it should be said that the far south of Sweden is less tolerant of incomers than say the far North.

Surveys continually show that the population support trans people and the Swedish way of life is generally a live-and-let-live philosophy. Legally trans people can change gender but this has been a long process which will change during 2025 and be made easier and shorter.

Swede's speak good English and the lifestyle is generally relaxed with good working hours, long vacations and excellent child-care support and parental leave.

Why not Sweden?

Like much of Europe there is racism and Islamaphobia which tends to be of higher levels than any transphobia. This does not mean there is not a place for those who are non-white but more care needs to be taken and it is heavily reported that Immigration authorities are becoming more active.

Sweden is also not the easiest place to integrate as native Swedes tend to be family based and so one needs to be very active in making friends. Do not expect real friendship to come easy.

There is no recognition of non-binary people and your personal number is gender coded, male or female. This means that even though you can easily change your name it is obvious what your legal gender is until you can go through the process of changing it.

Access to trans health care

Access to trans health care is through the national health system which is run by the Swedish regions. You will need to be registered and have a personal number before this can be accessed.

Trans care is first sort through the local doctor or hospital (depending on the region and location) and they will refer you to one of 6 KIM (Könsidentitetsmottagning - gender identity reception) clinics around the country. The referral time varies but is around 12-18 months then you will go through assessments and all being well onto hormones. After some time on hormones (1-2 years) you can be referred for surgery and the wait list depends on the clinic. There are 3 surgery clinics, all in the South of Sweden, with wait lists from 1 year to 5 years.

The care once received is normally very good and basically free - there are limited co-payments but these are small).

If you are coming from abroad and have already been assessed with dysphoria or transitioned then you can circumvent part of this process. But you should still start at the KIM clinic nearest you.

Sweden's pharmacies (apotek) run on electronic prescriptions and paper ones from abroad can be hard to get filled depending wherein the country you are. So bring plenty of medications with you.

Immigration

Sweden's immigration policy is very binary, either you have a reason for getting a work or residency permit, or you don't. This is unlike countries with points system or otherwise weighing several different factors into some kind of combined judgement. The official web page has lots of information on the practical parts, but also the rules involved: https://www.migrationsverket.se/English.html

The information below is a summary of the most likely path for US and most other non-EU immigrants. If you are able to obtain EU citizenship, it becomes much easier.

For Sweden, the term "visa" only applies for permission to enter the country, if you intend to stay longer than 90 days you also need a residency permit of some kind:

Work Permit

The main challenge for the most likely path into Sweden is finding an employer that will hire you paying least 80% of the median Swedish salary, that is willing to do paperwork on your behalf, and is willing to wait for a slower hiring process than someone local. For the first 2 years the work permit is limited to the employer that filed it, and after that it is still limited to a particular job. If you get promoted you might need to apply for a new permit, but as long as it is a serious employer and you get a raise, this is mostly a formality.

Enforcement of the rules for work permits is strict: if your employer fails at following all the rules and regulations (pension payments, overtime rules, etc) the work permit will not get renewed and you'll have to leave the country.

If your employment ends for any reason, you have 3 months to find a new job and send in a work permit application for that.

Study permit

This path requires you to get accepted and pay tuition fees to a Swedish university, as well as showing you have the means to support yourself during the study period. Some university programmes are given in English, but most require Swedish language skills. PhD study permits are a separate category since that is considered a job with salary in Swedish academia.

Self-employment

Starting your own business or buying an existing one is a valid path, but will take a sizeable chunk of money as well as having a business plan that will convince sceptical immigration agency staff that you will be able to support yourself on the profits.

Permanent Residency Permit

After living in Sweden for 4 years you can apply for permanent residency. There are some additional requirements, like being able to show you can support yourself and your family, having a long-term housing contract, and not get caught doing crimes. A permanent residency permit gives you almost all the benefits of society while living in Sweden.

Citizenship

Citizenship currently requires permanent residency and having lived in Sweden for 5 consecutive years without getting caught doing crime. There is a current government proposal to increase the wait to 8 years, which is expected to become law by 2026. Sweden does not currently require Swedish language proficiency or any other tests for citizenship.

Practical guide to living in Sweden

Language

All Swedes speak basic to good English, in some workplaces English is fine as a work language too (much of IT, research, and engineering, maybe others).