2025-03-122024/25:SfU17 · p.7SfUMigration & social insurance
Track-switching
Abolition of the labour-market track-change system
What's at stake: The decision affects the ability of people whose asylum application is rejected, as well as people with temporary protection under the mass flight directive, to remain in Sweden through work rather than having to leave the country.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
Parliament considered whether the track-change system, which lets rejected asylum seekers instead obtain a residence permit for work, should be abolished entirely, or whether it should instead be reformed, with a permanent route to a work permit introduced for people with temporary protection who already have a job.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee notes clear indications that the track-change system is currently used as a route into the Swedish labour market alongside regular labour migration, which reduces the legitimacy of both the asylum system and the labour-migration system. It has previously stated that tighter controls are not enough to address this, and that the track-change option represents a departure from the principle that the asylum process should have a clear beginning and end. The committee therefore backs the government's proposal to abolish the track-change system and rejects the motions.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 7 (C, MP)
C and MP believe the criticism of the track-change system should be taken seriously, but would rather see the government first review how the system could be reformed to work better, instead of abolishing it entirely. They particularly want people with temporary protection under the mass flight directive, who have no right to a permanent residence permit through that protection, to get a permanent way to stay in Sweden by switching to a labour-migration track if they already have a job – which today applies to roughly half the group.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
V–
S–
MP–
C–
L–
KD–
M–
SD–
YesNoAbstainAbsent
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 7 by C, MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The plan's stance / Actual vote
AI
Vote
Confidence
Evidence
V
–
Yes 21/0/0/3
S
–
Yes 93/0/0/13
MPown reservation
–
No 0/14/0/4
Cown reservation
–
No 0/19/0/5
L
–
Yes 14/0/0/2
KD
–
Yes 15/0/0/4
M
–
Yes 60/0/0/8
SD
–
Yes 62/0/0/10
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the motions
2024/25:2949 by Jonny Cato et al. (C) point 19,
2024/25:3065 by Annika Hirvonen et al. (MP) point 15,
2024/25:3332 by Annika Hirvonen et al. (MP) points 4 and 5, and
2024/25:3336 by Jonny Cato et al. (C) point 3.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna
2024/25:2949 av Jonny Cato m.fl. (C) yrkande 19,
2024/25:3065 av Annika Hirvonen m.fl. (MP) yrkande 15,
2024/25:3332 av Annika Hirvonen m.fl. (MP) yrkandena 4 och 5 samt
2024/25:3336 av Jonny Cato m.fl. (C) yrkande 3.
Riksdag decision: The government proposes legislative amendments, among other things, to encourage more people to leave Sweden following a removal decision, that is, deportation or expulsion to the home country. The Riksdag approved the proposal.
The legislative amendments entail, among other things, the following:
A removal decision shall cease to apply (be prescribed) five years from when the foreign national has complied with the decision and left Sweden. According to current rules, the corresponding period is four years. If the decision is associated with a so-called re-entry ban that is in effect at that time, the decision shall cease to apply only when the re-entry ban expires.
Re-entry bans shall be determined for a maximum of five years, instead of one year as is currently the case. A re-entry ban means a prohibition from returning to Sweden. The re-entry ban may be longer, among other things, if the person poses a serious security threat.
The system of so-called track-switching is abolished. Track-switching means that a person who has received a rejection of their asylum application has the opportunity to instead seek a residence and work permit without leaving Sweden.
The legislative amendments enter into force on 1 April 2025.
The Riksdag also decided to reject proposals in motions within the field, of which two were submitted during the general motion period 2024.
Counter-proposals
The counter-proposal wants to preserve the track change system for asylum seekers. (C, MP) — Reservation 7
Motion 2024/25:3065 — Stärkta rättigheter för arbetskraftsinvandrare av Annika Hirvonen m.fl. (MP)
Motion 2024/25:3324 — med anledning av prop. 2024/25:92 Preskription av avlägsnandebeslut och vissa frågor om återreseförbud av Tony Haddou m.fl. (V)
Motion 2024/25:3332 — med anledning av prop. 2024/25:92 Preskription av avlägsnandebeslut och vissa frågor om återreseförbud av Annika Hirvonen m.fl. (MP)
Motion 2024/25:3336 — med anledning av prop. 2024/25:92 Preskription av avlägsnandebeslut och vissa frågor om återreseförbud av Jonny Cato m.fl. (C)
Proposition 2024/25:92 — Preskription av avlägsnandebeslut och vissa frågor om återreseförbud