Once an international employee has started work, someone needs to keep track of their permit. A useful HR routine makes clear who is responsible, what needs to be followed up, and how to identify changes before they take effect. It also makes it easier to hand over the work when someone changes roles or takes leave. Changes in legislation can affect an employee’s situation. An immigration representative can inform you about changes that may be relevant to the employee’s permit.
Start with your current employees. Check that each employee has a responsible contact, that the relevant decisions can be accessed, and that there is an agreed next step. Then build follow-up into the processes already used by HR, payroll and managers.
Bring the permit decision into the employment process
The handover from recruitment to ongoing HR work needs to cover more than confirmation that the application is complete. The person taking over should be able to find the documents and understand what needs monitoring. Alongside the expiry date, they need to understand the conditions of the permit. If an employee is moving to a new role or another part of the business, for example, assess what the change means for that specific permit.
The Swedish Migration Agency says employers must check documents showing the right to work and keep copies during the employment and for at least twelve months after it ends. An internal overview can help you locate the documents, but it does not replace the check or the documents themselves.
If you need an overview of the recruitment process, see our HR guide to work permits. This article focuses on what happens after the employee starts.
Appoint a responsible person and a backup
Assign responsibility to a specific function and a named person. Also appoint a backup who can access the necessary information during absences. A reminder in one employee’s personal calendar can easily be lost when that person moves to another role. Plan for parental leave too, and share reminders about important dates with those responsible for follow-up.
HR can coordinate the follow-up, while payroll provides salary records and the function responsible for insurance provides its documentation. Managers need to know which planned changes to raise before they take effect.
It is better for each function to have a clear task than for several people to assume someone else is monitoring the whole picture.
Keep a small, up-to-date case overview
The overview should make the next action visible. Collect only the information needed for coordination and handle documentation according to your organisation’s procedures for access and personal data.
| Field | How it helps |
|---|---|
| Employee or internal case ID | Find the right case |
| Responsible person and backup | Know who follows up |
| Reference to checked documents | Find decisions and relevant records |
| Validity period in the decision | Monitor dates that need assessment |
| Next internal review | See when to follow up |
| Planned change or open question | Identify matters that need investigation |
| Last checked and next action | Prevent outdated information from being carried forward |
An internal review is not the same as an authority deadline. Set reminders according to the individual case and check what applies if employment is to continue. Do not apply the same calendar rule to every permit type without an assessment.
Identify changes before they take effect
A new role may first be discussed between a manager and an employee, reaching HR only once everything has been decided. Add a checkpoint to your usual procedures for changes to roles, employers and employment conditions.
The Swedish Migration Agency provides information about changes during employment. What a change means must be assessed in light of the individual’s circumstances and permit. Not every change leads to the same action.
For example, an employee may be given different duties. The first internal question is who should assess the change and what information they need. The routine should make sure the question is raised, rather than letting a general checkbox determine the permit issue.
Create a route for questions that need further review
If information is missing or a date is approaching, the person responsible needs to know where to turn for help. Describe how an unclear case is escalated, who keeps in touch with the employee, and how an agreed action is documented.
An extension application may require records from the previous period of employment. Keeping documentation accessible throughout is therefore more useful than trying to reconstruct the full history when a new case is being prepared. Check the Swedish Migration Agency’s current information on extensions.
Support when permit questions need assessment
Nimmersion supports employers with immigration services. When you need help with an individual case, a clear internal overview can make it easier to explain the situation and find the right documentation.
Contact us if you need help understanding the next step. Start with the specific change or question and the decision the employee currently holds.
