Employers Trainee/intern within the context of higher education

You want to employ someone who is a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country for a traineeship/internship tied to their higher education.

  • Important to know
  • How it works
  • Apply

If you want to see the information aimed at the trainee/intern, you can visit the page You want to apply – Traineeships/internships within the context of higher education

The information on this page is aimed at companies, universities, national authorities and organisations that want to offer a paid traineeship/internship related to someone’s ongoing or completed education or higher education degree. The trainee/intern must apply for a residence permit for a traineeship/internship.

Other types of trainees/interns

  • If the traineeship/internship is unpaid, they must instead apply for a visitor’s permit.
  • Employees of an international group who will be participating in traineeships/internships, internal training or other skills development in a company within the group, for a total of three months over a period of twelve months, can work in Sweden without a residence or work permit. They must then apply for an ICT permit.

Certain people are exempt from the work permit requirement

The employer starts the application

As an employer, you start the application for a residence permit for the person you want to employ as a trainee/intern. You do this by providing information about the employment to the Swedish Migration Agency via our e-service. When you are finished, the trainee/intern receives a link to the e-service, where they fill in their information and submit the application, thus completing the process. Only then is the application registered with the Swedish Migration Agency.

In addition to the requirements imposed on the trainee/intern, as an employer you must meet the following requirements in order for the person you want to employ to be able to get a residence permit:

You and the trainee/intern must sign a traineeship/ internship agreement
The agreement must describe the content of the traineeship/internship and show how it is to be implemented in the same area and at the same level of qualification as the trainee/intern’s ongoing or completed education programme. The agreement must be signed by both parties.

You must agree with the trainee/intern on terms of employment and salary/wages
The terms of employment and salary/wages must be at least the same level as Swedish collective agreements or what is customary for trainees/interns in the occupation or industry.

  • Sign a traineeship/internship agreement with the trainee/intern

You must sign a traineeship/internship agreement with the trainee//intern. It must be signed by both parties. You must attach the agreement.

In order for the Swedish Migration Agency to assess whether the traineeship/internship meets the required conditions for a residence permit for traineeships/internships within the context of higher education, the agreement should include the following:

Heading indicating the subject of the agreement
For example “Information for the Swedish Migration Agency regarding an application for a residence permit for a traineeship/internship within the context of higher education”.

Date of issue of the agreement

The trainee/intern’s name, date of birth and citizenship
Also state any case number/file number with the Swedish Migration Agency, if the person has one.

Information on the content of the traineeship/internship
The trainee/intern shall participate in the traineeship/internship in order to gain knowledge, practice and experience in an occupational environment. Describe the content of the traineeship/internship, its goal(s), and the educational elements it includes. State whether the traineeship/internship is to be carried out at a company, university, national authority or organisation.

Information about the working and supervision conditions
Describe the working and supervision conditions that will apply to the traineeship/internship; what the trainee/intern will do and what supervision the trainee/intern will receive at work.

Information about the trainee’s/intern’s terms of employment
State the trainee’s/intern’s terms of employment, what salary/wages the trainee/intern will receive, and the insurances by which the trainee/intern will be covered. The terms of employment must be on par with collective agreements or with what is customary for trainees/interns within the occupation or industry.

Information about the length of the traineeship/internship
State how long the traineeship/internship will last.

Information about working hours for the traineeship/internship
State what working hours the trainee/intern will have.

Information about the qualifications of the trainee/intern
State what degree or ongoing education the trainee/intern has and how the traineeship/internship relates to their studies. Describe any other qualifications that have led them to be offered the traineeship/internship.

Signature of the person who issued the agreement
Information about the person who issued the agreement: name, position and contact details. If the application for a residence permit is submitted via the Swedish Migration Agency’s e-service, the trainee/intern does not need to sign the agreement. If the application is submitted via a paper form, the trainee/intern must also sign the agreement.

If the processing of the application takes time, the start date that you specify in the agreement may pass. Then the Swedish Migration Agency may need to ask you for a new start date – which could extend the processing time. To avoid this, you can formulate the agreement so that it does not specify a specific start date, but instead states that the traineeship/internship will start from the date that the Swedish Migration Agency grants the residence permit.

  • Collect important information

Make sure you have access to the information about the trainee/intern, company and employment that you will need to provide in the e-service.

Information about the person you want to employ as a trainee/intern
Name, date of birth, citizenship, education and email address. Please note that it is through this email address that the trainee/intern will log into the e-service to continue their application for a residence permit, so double check it carefully.

Information about the company, university, authority or organisation
Company registration number, contact details, and location of the workplace.

Information about the employment
Occupation, work responsibilities, start and end dates.

People who are in Sweden for less than one year do not have the same right to social welfare benefits as those who reside here. It is therefore very important that the trainee/intern has their own private insurance that can cover any costs that might arise if they fall ill or have an accident.

A copy of their power of attorney to act as a representative.

Power of attorney (107011) Pdf, 1.1 MB.

Read more about power of attorney

If you will be acting as a representative for an employer, you need to arrange a power of attorney.

Please note that if you are a representative with power of attorney, you are the only person who will have access to the case during the entire application period, because you create the e-application using your e-ID. You will thus be the only one who can complete the employer’s part of the application and respond to any requests for supplementation.

Read more about power of attorney

The trainee/intern may be granted a residence permit for the period during which you are offering them a traineeship/internship, but for a maximum of 18 months. They can never be granted a permit for longer than their passport is valid.

It is not possible to say exactly how long it takes to recieve a decision. There are many things that affect the waiting time, for example whether the application is complete to begin with or whether we need to request more information, or whether we need to check with other authorities when investigating the case.

Here we show statistics on how long it has taken for people who have applied for this permit.

Complete applications

75% of applications receive a decision within:4 months

Incomplete applications

75% of applications receive a decision within:7 months

News

2025-03-05

The Swedish Migration Agency's new website has now been launched

On 5 March, the Swedish Migration Agency launched a completely new version of migrationsverket.se, with a new structure and a more user-friendly navigation. The purpose of the new website is primarily to make it easier for visitors to find the information they need.

2025-01-07

New EU Blue Card rules now apply

As of 1 January, new requirements and rules apply for anyone who wants to apply for an EU Blue Card and existing Blue Card holders.

The Swedish Migration Agency is responsible for considering applications from people who want to live in Sweden, seek protection or become Swedish citizens. Our work is based on Swedish laws and international conventions, with a focus on legal certainty and effective reception and return.