Look for work after completing research
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Söka arbete efter slutförd forskning as of 2025-02-25[2] Page name on Migrationsverket's Swedish site. |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Look for work after completing research as of 2025-02-03[1] Page name on Migrationsverket's English site. |
| Legal basis | Utlanningslag (2005:716) 5 b kap. 7 § (Lag 2026:457) as of 2026-08-22[4][6] 'En utlanning som vid ansokningstillfallet har ett uppehallstillstand enligt 1 § ska beviljas ett uppehallstillstand som inte far vara kortare an ett ar och som langst ett ar och sex manader efter slutford forskning', on condition that they intend to look for work or investigate starting a business and can show the research principal's certificate that the research is complete. The second paragraph extends it to holders of another EU state's research permit who did part of the research here. Lag 2026:457, in force 11 June 2026, is what widened the term from a flat twelve months. |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-08-22[6] |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA as of 2026-08-22[6] 5 b kap. 10 § 1. |
|---|---|
| Criminal-record condition | Not established from a qualifying source[6] |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | 12 to 18 months as of 2026-05-25[1][3][6] 5 b kap. 7 §: not shorter than one year and at most one year and six months. Migrationsverket: 'You can be granted a residence permit for one year, and for a maximum of one year and six months.' Both ends stated, so the bounds form is used. The upper end is new – before 11 June 2026 the term was a flat twelve months. |
|---|---|
| Renewable | No as of 2025-02-03[1] 'The permit cannot be extended.' 5 b kap. 17 § allows extension only for 1-3 § permits. |
| Maximum total duration | up to 18 months as of 2026-08-22[1][6] |
| Work rights | none as of 2026-08-22[1][6] The permit is to look for work or investigate a business. Its own exit is generous: a holder who gets a research post with an approved principal and a hosting agreement may apply for se-researcher from inside Sweden, and 5 b kap. 15 § andra stycket 4 (Lag 2026:457) puts that in the statute. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | No as of 2026-08-22[6] A 7 § permit is not among the types Utlanningslag 5 kap. 5 § counts. |
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Requirements
| Job offer required | No as of 2026-08-22[1][6] |
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| Labour-market test | No as of 2026-08-22[6] None. |
| Qualification requirement | degree as of 2026-08-22[1][6] Not a degree condition as such but a completed-research condition: the applicant's last permit must have been for research in Sweden or another EU state, and the research principal must certify completion. 'degree' is the closest available value and it understates the gate; the precise condition is in this note. |
| Employer sponsorship | No as of 2025-02-03[1] |
| Own means requirement | SEK 9,700 per month as of 2025-02-03[1][6] 'You must have at least SEK 9,700 per month', sufficient for the whole permit period and the return journey – 5 b kap. 9 § forsta stycket 1. The same figure Migrationsverket publishes for se-researcher. Comprehensive health insurance is required where the total time in Sweden is under a year. |
| Job-search route | Yes as of 2026-08-22[1][6] |
Process
| Where to apply from | in-country only as of 2026-08-22[1][6] 5 b kap. 16 § lets an application under 7 § be filed after entry, and the route is defined by holding a research permit at the moment of application: 'You must submit your application before your current permit expires.' There is no from-abroad version. |
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| Statutory processing time | 90 days as of 2026-08-22[5] Utlanningsforordning (2006:97) 4 a kap. 1 § (Forordning 2026:459): an application must be decided at the latest '1. 60 dagar fran det att ansokan lamnades in, om ansokan avser uppehallstillstand enligt 5 b kap. 1 eller 2 § eller utbildning pa forskarniva enligt 3 § utlanningslagen (2005:716), eller 2. 90 dagar … om ansokan avser uppehallstillstand enligt 5 b kap. 3-8 eller 19 § utlanningslagen.' The clock may be extended where the application needs completing, and the applicant must be told. This is a real statutory deadline and it is not the same thing as Migrationsverket's own service commitments or its published percentiles. |
| Observed processing time | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value[1] |
| Fees |
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| Quota |
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Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Yes as of 2026-08-22[1][6] 5 b kap. 19 § covers holders of 1, 2 and 7 § permits, so family of a post-research job-seeker have the same 'ska beviljas' entitlement as family of a researcher. Migrationsverket: 'you must be granted a residence permit after completing research, and your family must have valid passports.' |
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| Eligible relations | spouse, registered partner, unmarried partner, minor child as of 2026-08-22[1][6] Migrationsverket: 'Family members are considered to include spouses, registered partners, cohabiting partners, and children under the age of 18.' Narrower than the under-21 rule that applies to ordinary work permits – recorded as stated, not harmonised. |
| Family may apply at the same time | Yes as of 2025-02-03[1] 'You apply for your family in your own application.' |
| Family members' work rights | full as of 2025-02-03[1] |
Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
Profile benefits
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Verification
| Sources cited | 6 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 6 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2025-02-03 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-22 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-22 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Look for work after completing research
Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-02-03 · Accessed 2026-08-22 - [2] Soka jobb (Swedish-language job-search hub)
Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-02-25 · Accessed 2026-08-22 - [3] New rules for researchers and doctoral students
Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-05-25 · Accessed 2026-08-22 - [4] SFSR amendment register for Utlanningslag (2005:716)
Regeringskansliet · gazette · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-22 - [5] Utlanningsforordning (2006:97), consolidated text
Sveriges riksdag · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-22 - [6] Utlanningslag (2005:716), consolidated text, amended up to and including SFS 2026:1451
Sveriges riksdag / Regeringskansliet · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-22