Residence permit for studies in Sweden

What is a residence permit? A residence permit gives the holder the right to travel to and live in Sweden for a prolonged time It is required for stays longer than 3 months You need to receive it before you arrive to Sweden A residence permit for studies gives the holder the right to stay in Sweden during the time of study

Requirement for a residence permit A valid passport Admitted to full-time studies to a Swedish university. Be able to support yourself during the period of which you are applying for Comprehensive health insurance if you are admitted to studies for less than one year Pay in full the first installment of the tuition fee or have a scholarship covering the first installment of the tuition fee Notes: Full-time are defined as admission to a programme/coursepacket (at least 30 ECTS per term) The Migration Board will check your payment status so it’s important to pay your fee on time.

How long is your permit valid? One year at a time Students studying a programme for longer than one year can then renew the permit from Sweden Renewing your permit You must apply for an extension before your current permit has expired Apply for a renewal no earlier than six month before your permit expires Length of programme Permit validity period 1-year 1 August – 30 June > 1-year 1 August – 1 September Notes: These are the maximum general permit periods. The ability to grant a permit of such duration is also dependant on the applicant having sufficient funds, health insurance and a valid passport that covers the entire permit period. If, for example, the applicant does not quite have sufficient funds for the abovementioned period or if the health insurance does not cover the total period, the validity of the permit might be shortened in accordance with that.

Proof of financial support This next five slides are about the financial support requirement of residence permits Proof of financial support

Proof of financial support - 1(5) You need to be able to show that you can provide for yourself for the period for which you are applying for a residence permit. How much money do you need? At least SEK 8 370 SEK/month The monthly amount can be reduced if you can prove that you will get free food or accommodation from a university or an organisation that works with international exchange during your stay. As mentioned before, the general permit periods vary based on the duration of the chosen education. For one-year programmes, the maximum length of a residence permit in such cases is August 1 – June 30. This maximum permit period corresponds to 11 months. Since all the months of the year are counted, applicants must show financial support for 11 months if they wish to get the maximum permit period. For programmes exceeding one year, the applicant should to show financial support for 11 months out of 13 months. This means that they don’t need to show financial support for two months of the 13 months of their permit period.

Proof of financial support - 2(5) How long do you need to be able to support yourself? For your initial year in Sweden for your first application Students studying programmes longer than 1 year will need to show financial support for the coming year when applying for a renewal

Proof of financial support - 3(5) How can you prove you have financial support? Bank assets in an account of which you are the sole account holder Scholarship Study grant or similar, for example student financial aid

Proof of financial support - 4(5) Does the money need to be in my account? It is necessary to submit the bank statement of the applicant, The bank statement may not be from other people such as your parents The bank account needs to be your own account and cannot be a shared/joint account What is not accepted to show financial support? Bank accounts shared with another person Statements of available credit, holds of funds or shares Frozen accounts or timed deposits, where the money are frozen during the study period

Proof of financial support - 5(5) What happens if I have a scholarship? It needs to cover your living expenses and not only the tuition fee to replace the requirement for financial support The certificate must show the period you will be receiving the scholarship/grant for, and how much of the money will be available for your living expenses Information about either the monthly sum (including information regarding how many payments will be made) or the total amount paid out must also be present Any other important tips regarding financial support? Bank statements cannot be older than from 3 months before the start of your permit period, which will start on 1 August – this means not earlier than 1 May Do not apply earlier than 1 May

The next two slides are about health insurance and there are separate slides for students studying 1-yr programmes and programmes longer than 1-yr Health insurance

Health insurance – 1(2) Students studying one-year programmes You must show comprehensive health insurance if your university does not provide health insurance – refer to your university to see if they offer insurance Many universities offer comprehensive health insurance for students called FAS plus that is sufficient proof of health insurance. Check with your university if they have FAS plus If they do not have FAS plus you need your own health insurance It must be valid for the whole period that you will stay in Sweden It must cover the costs for emergency and other medical care, dental care and hospitalization. It must also cover the cost of a possible return journey home because of medical reasons. If your university has FAS plus you don’t need to upload proof of health insurance as the Migration Agency knows which universities offer health insurance

Health insurance – 2 (2) Students studying two-year programmes or longer You do not need to provide proof of health insurance as they will be covered by the Swedish healthcare system once you apply for a Swedish personal identity number in Sweden. Contact the Swedish tax agency as soon as possible after arrival in Sweden.

Permit for family members Any family member (spouse, co-habitant partner and children under 18) you intend to bring with you to Sweden also need a residence permit Family members can apply for a residence permit if the family member is planning to live in Sweden with the person moving to Sweden to study the family member has a valid passport the family member has financial support arranged for the period they are applying for a residence permit you have supporting documents proving the kinship (marriage certificate, birth certificate or documents proving that you and your partner have lived together “abroad” (*note for Foreign Missions - insert the country of the event*) for a long period of time. Required financial support for family members The maintenance requirement for the whole time you are in Sweden is 3,500 SEK per month for adults and 2,100 SEK per month for each child. How long are the residence permits for family members valid? The same validity period as the student of the family member

How to apply? When to apply? After you have been admitted to your school and paid the first installment of the tuition fee you can submit your application for a residence permit Do not apply until you have a complete application Do not to apply earlier than 1 May as your bank statements should not be earlier than 3 months of when you receive your residence permit, which usually starts on 1 August. Do not apply too late. Processing times vary, but the average waiting time is approximately one month. Application fee There will be an application fee of SEK 1 000 connected to the application. Photograph and fingerprints by the Swedish Embassy/Consulate – residence permit card After applying you will need to visit the closest Swedish Foreign Mission to be photographed and have your fingerprints collected for the resident permit card (*note for Foreign Missions - students certain countries can receive the residence permit card after arriving in Sweden – update accordingly)* You can do this before or after a decision has which also takes a month on average though we recommend doing this as early as possible as the process can take a month in addition to residence permit application age.. For a complete list of countries that need a residence permit card before entry and a list of countries that can receive this residence permit card afterentering Sweden see: http://www.regeringen.se/regeringens-politik/migration-och-asyl/lander-vars-medborgare-behover-visum-for-inresa-i-sverige/

Key tips Make sure to extend your passport if it is about to expire – you cannot obtain a permit for longer than your passport’s period of validity Apply as soon after 1 May as possible BUT…. An incomplete application sent in early will take longer to process than a complete application sent in later – so only send a complete application

Common mistakes Incomplete applications Sending in a bank account in someone else’s name or shared with another person Bank statements missing vital information such as the issuing date or the name of the account holder Sending in a document for a scholarship that doesn’t show the amount of living expenses it will cover or that the application can use the funds as they like When copying your personal details from your passport make sure it includes the entire page to include all the required pages The numbers and lettering at the very top and bottom of the pages must also be clearly visible. For more information, see here

For more details refer to - www.migrationsverket.se

Welcome to Sweden!