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Residence permit for studies at higher education: how long it takes, what it costs, and whether it leads to permanent residence
Study permit
Temporary residence permit for full-time first- or second-cycle studies (or exchange / higher vocational / post-secondary folk high school). Must be finally admitted; distance learning does not qualify. Maintenance for applications in 2026 is at least SEK 10,656 a month (18 percent of the 2026 prisbasbelopp of SEK 59,200). Studies of at least one year: register in the population register for health care. Studies of less than one year: comprehensive health insurance. Permits granted on or after 11 June 2026 for bachelor’s or master’s level allow at most 15 hours’ work a week. This route is not on the Agency’s permanent-residence listing (that listing names work, self-employment, family ties and doctoral students). A later permit to look for work after completed studies is a separate temporary permission.
Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-08-15
We tell you when we re-read a route you follow, in the note from that check, with the official link.
Does Residence permit for studies at higher education lead to permanent residence?
- Residency
Temporary — not a permanent-residence route on its own
Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-08-15
Do you need a job offer for Residence permit for studies at higher education?
- Job offer
Not stated
The verified record does not state whether a job offer is required. Absence of the field is not a no — check the official source below.
Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-08-15
How much does Residence permit for studies at higher education cost to apply for?
- Application fee
SEK 1,500
Adult application fee only: “Adults: SEK 1,500”. Children under 18: SEK 750. Some scholarship holders (Sida, EU, Swedish Institute, or Uppsala University’s International Science Programme, living-expense scholarships) pay no fee. Not a work-permit fee.
Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-08-15
How much money do you have to show for Residence permit for studies at higher education?
- Funds
From SEK 10,656
Monthly maintenance for applications in 2026: at least SEK 10,656. MIGRFS 2023:1: 18 percent of the prisbasbelopp per month. Government prisbasbelopp 2026 is SEK 59,200 (0.18 × 59,200 = 10,656). 2025 applications used SEK 10,584 (18 percent of SEK 58,800). Reductions if the institution or an exchange organisation provides free food (SEK 2,960) or free housing (SEK 4,736) in 2026. Extra SEK 4,440 a month for a spouse or cohabiting partner and SEK 2,664 per child. Must cover the whole permit period.
Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-08-15
How long does Residence permit for studies at higher education take to process?
- Processing time
No duration published; the authority points to a guidance tool
Open the authority's page for this fact
Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-08-15
What Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) does not publish
We checked for each of these and the page carried no figure. The absence is recorded with the reason, so this page states nothing the authority does not.
Processing time
English page: statistics for cases decided in the last 12 months, “75% of recently decided cases have been decided within: 2 months.” Swedish: “75% av nyligen avgjorda ärenden har avgjorts inom: 2 månader.” That is a statistic, not a promised range. Old 1–3 month range deleted.
Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-08-15
Minimum education
The page requires final admission to full-time first- or second-cycle studies, not a prior bachelor’s degree. First-cycle programmes are bachelor’s programmes you are applying to study. Old stored value bachelor contradicted that and has been removed from the program fields.
Not yet verified against an official source
Minimum language level
Opened study pages do not publish a language-test level. Documents should be in Swedish or English. Old stored enum intermediate has been removed.
Not yet verified against an official source
What changed when we last checked this record
English higher-education page and Swedish page (https://www.migrationsverket.se/du-vill-ansoka/studera/studier-vid-hogre-utbildning.html) opened 2026-08-15. Swedish wording: “minst 10 656 kronor per månad, om du har ansökt 2026”. Old stored age 17, bachelor minimum, intermediate language enum, dollar funds, dollar fee, 1–3 month processing, 48-month permanent-residence pathway, and a homepage officialSourceUrl have been removed. Doctoral-student permanent residence and the post-study job-seeking permit are listed on https://www.migrationsverket.se/en/you-want-to-apply/study.html and were not added. Apply hub: https://www.migrationsverket.se/en/you-want-to-apply.html.
Source: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · verified 2026-08-15
Other verified Sweden routes
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Official sources
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