Sweden is a popular country choice for international students. With an innovative approach on learning. Swedish universities give their students opportunity to develop independent thinking and strengthen their learning to approach the real world. According to the QS world rankings 2023, 6 Swedish universities are among world’s top 200.
Students from all around the world, including India prefer to Study in Sweden as English language is widely spoken in Sweden. The Swedish universities offer degree programmes that are taught entirely in English. Some of the popular courses for which students choose to study in Sweden are Sciences, Software Engineering, Business & Management, Architecture and Urban Planning. Students are given up to 1 year post study work visa.
Sweden has a well developed and export driven economy. Having large multinational organisations like Volvo, SKF, Atlas Copco, Ericsson and IKEA, Sweden provides work opportunities to the students.
If you are a student who is willing to study in Sweden, then you should know the two types of Visas that the Swedish government offers.
- Student Visa
- Residence permit
Both the student visa and residence permit are required for non-EU/ EEA citizens who have planned to study in Sweden. Students need to apply for the visa according to the duration of their stay. If the duration of stay is less than 90 days, the student visa is required. If the duration of stay is more than 90 days, then the student must apply for Residence permit. Swedish universities have an academic year of 10 months approximately. It is usually divided into semesters. So international students need to apply for residence permit to stay in Sweden. The student must start their visa application process as soon as possible as it can take several months for the visa to get approved.
Let us have a quick overview of the documents requirements and the application process for Student Visa and Residence Permit.
Documents Requirements for Student Visa and Residence Permit.
- Valid Passport
- Letter of Acceptance from the Swedish University
- Payment proof of the first instalment of your tuition fees
- Financial proof that you have sufficient funds to support your living expenses during your study period.
- Health insurance
The above-mentioned documents are mandatory to shown by the student. The student can initiate the visa process through Swedish Embassy in your residing country or else you can directly apply online to the Swedish Migration Agency. The Swedish Migration Agency will check and verify your documents. If there are any additional document requirements, then you will be asked by the Swedish Migration Agency to send the document. Your profile will be verified again. Lastly the Swedish Migration Agency will decide to accept or reject your visa. When the decision is taken, you will receive an email. If your application is accepted. Then you are asked to take an appointment at the embassy to collect your picture and fingerprints. The embassy will make your residence permit card, you will receive the permit in a few months after approval. You can plan to move to Sweden once you receive the permit.
In this entire visa process, total waiting time might differ from application to application. Hence it is recommended that the student should apply for the permit as soon as they pay their first instalment of the tuition fees.
Sweden is among the Best European Countries to Study. If you are a student and have the residence permit, you are allowed to work while you are studying. You do not need to have any separate work permit. This allows the student to fund their living expense, while they are studying in a full-time degree.
The above-mentioned information should be sufficient and the given details about student visa and residence permit should ease your confusions about the visa application process to Sweden.