Extension of residence permit

Shorter proces­sing time for a complete appli­ca­tion

Please take your time and do this thoroughly, so you won’t encounter problems when you need to extend your permit. 

A residence permit is granted for one year at a time. Six months before your residence permit expiries you can apply for an extension. You should submit your application while your current permit is still valid. Normally, it takes some months to get the decision. If you apply too far in advance, the application may need to be supplemented with documents issued in close connection with the permit period applied for. Submitting a complete application will increase the chance of a speedier decision!

Here are some useful tips on who to make the process with Migrationsverket more rapid and smooth.

If the period of study is less than one year you will be granted a residence permit that is valid for the length of the study period. If you have been enrolled for continued full-time studies and still have your support secured, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit.

To extend your residence permit, you must:

• hold a valid passport
• be accepted on a course of full-time study at a university 
• have made acceptable progress in your studies
• be able to support yourself during the period you are requesting a residence permit for (the remaining time of the present permit + the permit period you are applying for)
• have a comprehensive insurance policy (KI provides insurance for all fee-paying students)

Read more and apply at the Migration Agency website

How to document that you can support yourself financially?

The Swedish Migration Agency is strict about financial support and may request account history. You must show that you are able to support yourself - even without your family. Please read the information at Migrationsverkets site carefully before submitting your application! Here are some of the most common mistakes we know of:

• If your parents support you, make sure that you do not transfer the money to your account as a lump sum the week you submit your application and then withdraw the money after the first bank statement was provided
• If you have several bank accounts, you must enclose statements from all your accounts.
• The statement must contain details of the balance, the name of the account holder and the currency.
• Bank assets must be on an account that belongs to you and from which only you and your husband or wife, if you have one, can withdraw money. If you share the account with, for example, your parents or a relative, the bank assets will not be regarded as your own.
• At some banks you need to show up in person to get your bank statements. Please have this in mind if you’re going back to your country for Christmas.