The Swedish Upper Secondary School Act
The Upper Secondary School Act is a temporary law that is gradually being abolished, according to a timetable established by the Swedish Parliament. Until 20 January 2025, anyone who has had a residence permit under the Upper Secondary School Act and can support themselves financially can apply for a permanent residence permit.
Since 20 December 2023, it is no longer possible to get a residence permit on the basis of studies at the upper secondary level. On 20 July 2024, the provisions on extended residence permits to look for work after completing upper secondary school studies also cease to apply. After that date, the Swedish Migration Agency can no longer grant an extended residence permit to look for work, even if the application was submitted before 20 July.
Until 20 January 2025, you can still apply for a permanent residence permit. Even after that date, the Swedish Migration Agency will be able to grant applications for permanent residence permits, provided that all the requirements are met and the application is submitted no later than 20 January 2025.
Decisions that have been appealed and are waiting for a decision from the courts will be tried in accordance with the upper secondary school act even after 20 January.
It is important that you apply for a permanent residence permit before your current permit expires, but no sooner than two months before that date.
Read about the requirements for obtaining a permanent residence permit and how to apply
After the decision
The Swedish Migration Agency often sends its decision by what is called simplified notification. Sometimes you get a letter with a summons to a meeting where a case officer explains the decision to you.
Simplified notification means that the Swedish Migration Agency will send the decision via regular mail to the address you have given us. The next day we send another letter to the same address informing you that we have mailed a decision. We do this in order to minimize the risk of an error. In this way the Migration Agency considers that you have been informed of the decision (were notified) two weeks after we sent it to you. After that you have three weeks to appeal the decision.
If the address you gave us cannot be used and you are registered with the Swedish population register, the decision and the control letter will be sent to the address listed as your home address in the population register.
Remember to check your mail on a regular basis.
If you are granted a residence permit
If you get a residence permit, you will be given a residence permit card as proof that you have a permit to be in Sweden. Even if you have had a residence permit card before, you must come to the Swedish Migration Agency to be photographed and fingerprinted again to be able to get a new residence permit card.
If your application is refused
If your application for a residence permit to look for work upon completion of your studies at upper secondary level, or for a permanent residence permit, is refused, and you do not meet the requirements for a residence permit on any other grounds either, you must leave Sweden and the Schengen area.
If you already have an expulsion order, the previous expulsion order normally applies if your application for an extension or permanent residence permit is refused, and this generally means that you have to leave Sweden. A case officer will explain to you what applies in your case.