New migration policies affect students who need to apply for a residence permit for studying in Sweden. This applies to students coming from a non-EU/EEA country.
As of November 1, 2022, the Swedish Migration Agency imposes major changes in the application requirements to be granted a residence permit.
Just as before applicants need to apply for a residence permit online. However, scanned copies of passports are no longer allowed. Instead, all applicants will need to present their passport in person to a Swedish Embassy or Consulate General to verify their identity. This applies to all applicants with an open application for a residence permit on November 1, and thereafter.
Applicants will be notified of when they need to present their passport. They will have a period of approximately four weeks to do this. The exact time and deadline will be included in the notification. The passport check itself will only take a few minutes, but it may be – depending on the Embassy or Consulate that you wish to visit – that you will need to book an appointment in order to complete the process.
Contact or visit the website of the Embassy or Consulate you wish to visit to learn about the procedure and processing times, so that you can prepare for your visit.
The introduction of the new policies may affect the already lengthy processing times for applications for residence permits. The limited number of Embassies and Consulates with migration sections may affect the length of journey and costs for students to be granted a residence permit. Lund University will issue Letters of Acceptance as early as possible to give students a chance to be granted a residence permit in time for arrival.
