https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Many people in Sweden have a summer house or 'sommarstuga' to escape to during their long holidays. Getting one of your own can be easier than you think – and can be surprisingly affordable, despite the increased cost of living. https://www.thelocal.com/20190625/guide-how-to-buy-the-swedish-summer-house-of-your-dreams-sommarstuga Tue, 25 Jun 2019 11:51:38 +0200 guide-how-to-buy-the-swedish-summer-house-of-your-dreams-sommarstuga Ever felt like spending your summers lounging around on your own island? Or have you always wanted to build a James Bond-style supervillain fort in the middle of the Stockholm archipelago? https://www.thelocal.com/20240828/how-to-buy-your-own-swedish-island Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:25:07 +0200 how-to-buy-your-own-swedish-island Stockholm or Skellefteå? Luleå or Lund? We asked our readers for their thoughts on the best place to live for foreigners in Sweden. Here’s what they said. https://www.thelocal.com/20240927/readers-reveal-the-top-swedish-cities-for-foreigners-to-move-to Fri, 27 Sep 2024 11:48:10 +0200 readers-reveal-the-top-swedish-cities-for-foreigners-to-move-to Sweden’s housing market is famously difficult to break into, with first-hand rentals especially hard to come by. Or is it? One report reveals that while some areas have long queues, others have empty apartments ready to move into straight away. https://www.thelocal.com/20250513/where-is-it-easiest-to-get-a-first-hand-rental-apartment-in-sweden Tue, 13 May 2025 14:05:14 +0200 where-is-it-easiest-to-get-a-first-hand-rental-apartment-in-sweden More than half of the non-European immigrants who left Sweden last year had tertiary education, new figures have shown. https://www.thelocal.com/20250717/more-than-half-of-non-european-immigrants-leaving-sweden-have-university-education Thu, 17 Jul 2025 11:27:03 +0200 more-than-half-of-non-european-immigrants-leaving-sweden-have-university-education Foreign citizens in Sweden carrying out particularly expert work or earning above a certain level may soon qualify for up to 30 percent tax relief on income earned in Sweden. https://www.thelocal.com/20250124/sweden-to-increase-expert-tax-cuts-and-make-them-available-to-more-foreigners Fri, 24 Jan 2025 09:47:01 +0100 sweden-to-increase-expert-tax-cuts-and-make-them-available-to-more-foreigners Johan Forssell, Sweden’s migration minister, has launched a 'business council' with experts from Spotify and other actors in the business sector to provide advice on how to attract highly-skilled foreigners to the country. https://www.thelocal.com/20241204/sweden-launches-new-business-council-to-attract-foreign-talent Wed, 04 Dec 2024 17:32:31 +0100 sweden-launches-new-business-council-to-attract-foreign-talent The town of Glommersträsk in northern Sweden offers a lot for lovers of the great outdoors – swimming spots in the summer, snowmobile trails and ski routes in the winter, and Norrland’s nature on its doorstep. The only problem? Not enough people. https://www.thelocal.com/20240910/swedish-town-in-lapland-offers-families-10000-kronor-to-move-in Tue, 10 Sep 2024 15:30:22 +0200 swedish-town-in-lapland-offers-families-10000-kronor-to-move-in In the first half of 2024, Sweden’s population grew by just 1,600 – that’s the lowest figure measured in a six-month period since the year 2000. https://www.thelocal.com/20240820/sweden-reports-lowest-population-growth-since-turn-of-millennium Tue, 20 Aug 2024 13:40:14 +0200 sweden-reports-lowest-population-growth-since-turn-of-millennium Considering the fickle trends in the Swedish housing market, prospective homebuyers might find themselves at a crossroads this summer. https://www.thelocal.com/20240704/should-you-buy-a-home-in-sweden-this-summer Thu, 04 Jul 2024 16:41:57 +0200 should-you-buy-a-home-in-sweden-this-summer When Götene, a quiet lakeside municipality in Western Sweden, launched a campaign in April to sell plots of land for one krona per square metre, they never could have guessed that they'd be fielding thousands of calls from across the world a few months later. https://www.thelocal.com/20240701/the-local-set-this-off-small-swedish-towns-one-krona-plots-go-viral Mon, 01 Jul 2024 17:35:34 +0200 the-local-set-this-off-small-swedish-towns-one-krona-plots-go-viral The municipality of Götene in western Sweden has gone viral for its campaign to attract new residents to the area by selling plots of land for one krona per square metre. Here’s how it actually works. https://www.thelocal.com/20240701/what-you-need-to-know-before-buying-a-one-krona-plot-of-land-in-sweden Mon, 01 Jul 2024 14:07:18 +0200 what-you-need-to-know-before-buying-a-one-krona-plot-of-land-in-sweden A Swedish municipality is looking to tempt more people to move to the area by offering heavily discounted plots of land. https://www.thelocal.com/20240624/for-sale-swedish-land-for-1-krona-per-square-metre-on-one-condition Mon, 24 Jun 2024 18:37:47 +0200 for-sale-swedish-land-for-1-krona-per-square-metre-on-one-condition Situated seven hours north of Stockholm, Umeå may not be the most famous municipality beyond the borders of Sweden – but there's more to this northern city than meets the eye. https://www.thelocal.com/20240628/heres-why-umea-was-just-ranked-the-best-place-to-live-in-sweden Fri, 28 Jun 2024 12:35:21 +0200 heres-why-umea-was-just-ranked-the-best-place-to-live-in-sweden There have been several reports of foreigners who bought Swedish property after they were falsely made to believe that it would speed up their process towards a Swedish residency permit. But what do the rules actually say? https://www.thelocal.com/20240617/fact-check-can-you-get-a-residency-permit-if-you-buy-property-in-sweden Mon, 17 Jun 2024 17:08:46 +0200 fact-check-can-you-get-a-residency-permit-if-you-buy-property-in-sweden Foreign citizens in Sweden carrying out particularly expert work or who earn above a certain level may qualify for up to 25 percent tax relief on their income earned in Sweden. How do you know if you qualify? https://www.thelocal.com/20240524/explained-which-foreigners-are-eligible-for-swedens-expert-tax-relief Fri, 24 May 2024 14:23:58 +0200 explained-which-foreigners-are-eligible-for-swedens-expert-tax-relief In a new scheme by the Migration Agency, applicants for a Swedish work or student permit will be able to verify their passport digitally instead of having to travel to a Swedish embassy – but so far only if they come from one of the 23 countries involved in the pilot. https://www.thelocal.com/20240520/sweden-launches-digital-passport-checks-for-work-permit-applicants-in-pilot-project Mon, 20 May 2024 08:38:01 +0200 sweden-launches-digital-passport-checks-for-work-permit-applicants-in-pilot-project Sweden's gaming industry is crying out for top international talent, but the skills shortage also creates opportunities for professionals in other fields to switch to a career in gaming. Senior experts share their best tips with The Local. https://www.thelocal.com/20231101/how-to-switch-to-a-career-in-swedens-booming-gaming-industry Wed, 01 Nov 2023 11:09:12 +0100 how-to-switch-to-a-career-in-swedens-booming-gaming-industry Last year, Sweden’s Migration Agency issued 40,000 fewer residence permits than in 2022, including fewer work permits. https://www.thelocal.com/20240119/in-stats-number-of-swedish-residence-permits-issued-plummeted-in-2023 Fri, 19 Jan 2024 12:14:42 +0100 in-stats-number-of-swedish-residence-permits-issued-plummeted-in-2023 Ibrahim Idrees had 17 years of experience in the finance industry when he moved to Sweden. After applying for over two thousand jobs without getting a single interview, he decided to create his own job, opening Malmö’s first hummus bar, Hummusson. https://www.thelocal.com/20231215/syrian-banker-applied-for-over-2000-jobs-in-sweden-before-creating-his-own Fri, 15 Dec 2023 10:01:04 +0100 syrian-banker-applied-for-over-2000-jobs-in-sweden-before-creating-his-own