I lived in Sweden with my husband on dependent work permit for two years.
After that I got my own work permit from my company and lived and worked continuously for another 3 years.
In total I have lived for 5 years continuously (2 years as dependent + 3 years as primary work permit holder) .
Will this 5 year fulfil the habitual residence qualification to become a Swedish Citizen.
Hi omsingh!
Thank you for your question.
The general rule is that all permit types that can lead to permanent residence can be counted towards the habitual residence period. As a dependent permit and a work permit can both lead to permanent residence, time spent in Sweden on both of these permit types can be included.
Kindly keep in mind that simply holding these types of permits for a combined period of 5 years does not mean that you can apply for and be granted Swedish citizenship. You must first have obtained permanent residence in Sweden in order to do so. On a work permit permanent residence can be granted once that applicant has held this permit type for a combined period of 4 years.
After you have been granted permanent residence you will need to ensure that you have been living in Sweden for at least 5 years. Note that absences of more than 6 weeks in total during a year cannot be counted towards the habitual residence period. If you have had longer absences you may therefore need to have lived in Sweden for more than 5 years in order to meet the requirement and compensate for any longer time spent abroad.
We hope that this provides some clarity regarding some of the requirements for Swedish citizenship in relation to the situation that you have mentioned.