Sweden work permits for Turkish citizens
Turkish citizens have certain rights that most non-EU citizens do not have. Due to agreements that the EU has with Turkey (associeringsavtalet), Turkish citizens have been granted some additional rights when working in EU countries. As these are meant to be applicable to all EU countries, the one that is mainly applicable – and most widely used in Sweden for work permit applications – is the following:
- The right to after one year’s regular employment in the member state, have ones work permit extended for employment with the same employer
This exemption has been used very frequently for Turkish citizens where not all the working conditions have been met and where a standard application may be rejected. If the Turkish citizen is extending his or her permit with the same employer, the application should not be rejected even if not all the conditions have been met.
We have noted that there is some misunderstanding regarding permanent residence if this agreement is used to have the permit granted. Permanent residence can still, and should still, be granted even if this agreement has been used to get ones permit approved (providing that the other requirements for permanent residence are met).