Kingdom of Sweden vs Independent State of Samoa
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Kingdom of Sweden and Independent State of Samoa government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket)
Migrationsverket - verified
- Samoa Immigration
Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet - verified
- Migrationsverket — Employees work permit
Migrationsverket - verified
- Samoa Immigration - Permit Services
Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet - verified
Kingdom of Sweden
Sweden's work and residence permits are administered by the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). The work permit system requires an employer offer meeting minimum salary and insurance conditions. The EU Blue Card (Sweden) targets highly qualified workers. Self-employment, researcher, and student permits round out the system. Sweden offers permanent residence after 4 years of continuous residence on a work permit.
- Official portal
- Migrationsverket
- Languages
- Swedish
- Currency
- Swedish krona
Independent State of Samoa
Samoa Visa Atlas coverage is source-backed from Samoa Immigration pages under the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The source packet covers visitor entry, business visitors, visitor extensions, temporary residence for employment, business and investment, study, family support or reunion, research, cultural and religious purposes, permanent residence, citizenship routes, official forms and fee tables. Applicants should use Samoa Immigration guidance and forms, then confirm the current filing place, fee and supporting evidence before travelling, working, studying, investing or relying on long-stay status.
- Languages
- Samoan, English
- Currency
- Samoan tala
How Kingdom of Sweden and Independent State of Samoa differ
| Dimension | Kingdom of Sweden | Independent State of Samoa |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 4 | 10 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 1 | 6 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 3 | 2 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Employee permit -> permanent residence after 4 qualifying work years in 7; self-employed permit -> possible permanent residence after 2 qualifying years; citizenship is a separate residence-based step. | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd) | Temporary Residence for Employment |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | SEK 34,470/month | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | For initial highly qualified employee cases, the Swedish Migration Agency reports that 75% of complete applications are decided within 1 month and incomplete applications within 2 months. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | A Swedish employee work-permit application costs SEK 2,200 for the principal applicant. | — |
| Official languages | Swedish | Samoan, English |
| Currency | Swedish krona | Samoan tala |
| Primary regulator | Advokatsamfundet | Immigration |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Kingdom of Sweden
Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd)
- Salary minimum
- SEK 34,470/month
- Government fees
- A Swedish employee work-permit application costs SEK 2,200 for the principal applicant.
- Processing time
- For initial highly qualified employee cases, the Swedish Migration Agency reports that 75% of complete applications are decided within 1 month and incomplete applications within 2 months.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Independent State of Samoa
Temporary Residence for Employment
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Routes unique to Kingdom of Sweden
Visa routes side by side
Kingdom of Sweden (4)
Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 2 years initially, limited by the employment contract and passport validity; extendable for up to 2 years at a time.
EU Blue Card (Sweden)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · At least 9 months and up to 4 years; renewable.
Self-Employment Permit (Eget företag)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 2 years initially, limited by passport validity; at the extension stage, permanent residence can be requested after at least 2 qualifying years.
Student Residence Permit (Uppehållstillstånd för studier)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 1 or 2 years depending on the institution and programme; never longer than the studies or passport validity.
Independent State of Samoa (10)
Visitor Permit on Arrival
No sponsor · Non-settlement · 90 days on arrival for visitor purposes, subject to Samoa entry requirements.
Business Visitor Permit
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Visitor framework; confirm permitted stay and activity limits with Samoa Immigration.
Visitor Permit Extension
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Further visitor stay; confirm the approved extension length with Samoa Immigration.
Temporary Residence for Employment
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Temporary residence; confirm the approved validity period and any renewal conditions on the permit issued by Samoa Immigration.
Temporary Residence for Business or Investment
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Temporary residence; confirm the approved validity period and any renewal conditions on the permit issued by Samoa Immigration.
Temporary Residence for Study
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Temporary residence; confirm the approved validity period and any renewal conditions on the permit issued by Samoa Immigration.
Temporary Residence for Family Support or Reunion
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Temporary residence; confirm the approved validity period and any renewal conditions on the permit issued by Samoa Immigration.
Temporary Residence for Research, Cultural or Religious Purposes
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Temporary residence; confirm the approved validity period and any renewal conditions on the permit issued by Samoa Immigration.
Permanent Residence Permit
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence status, subject to approval and any endorsement or reissue conditions.
Citizenship by Descent, Permanent Residence or Marriage
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Citizenship status after registration or recognition; processing depends on the citizenship route and decision.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Kingdom of Sweden or Independent State of Samoa?+
Kingdom of Sweden’s Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd) requires a salary of at least SEK 34,470/month; Independent State of Samoa’s Temporary Residence for Employment is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Kingdom of Sweden or Independent State of Samoa have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Independent State of Samoa has more: 6 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 1 for Kingdom of Sweden. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Kingdom of Sweden vs Independent State of Samoa immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/sweden/vs/samoa. Last verified 30 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons