Residence Permit and Visa

Once accepted to Futuregames, you will need to apply for a residence permit for studies in higher education at the Swedish Migration Agency. Residence permit for studies in higher education is only valid for one year. 

You will need to apply for a residence permit extension before the expiration of your existing residence permit. Read all about it and apply here.

Please read the residence permit application requirements carefully. There are several requirements you should pay a particular attention to:

• The Swedish Migration Agency will require you to show that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during the time for which you are applying for a residence permit (13 months). It has been counted that a monthly cost for a person to live in Sweden is ca. 8 700 SEK/month. This means, your bank account statement will need to show that you have ca. 113 100 SEK in your bank account when you apply for a residence permit. For more information about this requirement, please contact the Swedish Migration Agency.
• The Swedish Migration Agency will require you to show that you have, or have applied for a comprehensive health insurance policy. Changemaker Educations/Futuregames does not provide health insurance for our students. However, we can help by providing you with several useful links to get you started – just get in touch with us!

A residence permit card is issued by the Swedish Migration Agency once your residence permit has been granted. The card is usually sent to your local Swedish embassy. You are allowed to come to Sweden once you have received your residence permit card. Read all about the residence permit card here.

Important:
According to the Swedish Migration Agency, the process of obtaining a residence permit can take up to 4-5 months, therefore, we encourage all successful applicants to begin the process of their residence permit application as soon as their final admission letter from the school has been issued.

Only the accepted applicants receive the admission letter. The admission letter is issued soon after the school has received the deposit fee and the applicant has signed the agreement letter issued by the school. You receive both the invoice for the deposit and the agreement to sign soon after you have accepted the unconditional offer from Futuregames.

International students from certain countries may need to obtain a valid visa for the duration of their studies. If you’re unsure whether this applies to you, please check the list of foreign citizens who require a Visa for entry into Sweden.

Visa applications can be submitted through your local Swedish embassy.

Since you will be residing in Sweden and studying for more than a year, both EU and non-EU citizens will be required to register with the Swedish Tax Agency upon your arrival in Sweden. Everyone who is registered in the Swedish Population Register receives a personal identity number as an identifier. To do so, you will need to visit one of the Swedish Tax Agency’s offices in Sweden.

A Swedish personal identity number is required if you want to have a Swedish phone number, open a Swedish bank account, visit a healthcare center, etc. It is also required when communicating with government authorities. In some cases, it can take up to 18 weeks to receive a personal identity number. Therefore, it is important that you apply for it as soon as possible.

Note: 
You will be required to show a document from school proving that you are registered and started your studies. The admission letter will not be sufficient. The school will issue a study certificate for you. Contact the school’s international student coordinator before visiting the Swedish Tax Agency and ask for the study certificate.

In order to comply with the guidelines from the Swedish Migration Agency, all students will have approximately 20 hours of teacher-led education per week over the course of their study. Exact hours each week may vary in relation to any given course. Teacher contact hours can be in the form of lectures, mentoring, assignment reviews, individual counseling, guest lectures, industry contact, seminars, etc.

EU/EEA citizens are allowed to work in Sweden upon their arrival. Non-EU citizens who received their residence permit for studies in higher education are usually also allowed to work within the duration of their studies. However, there might be some exceptions. It will be indicated on your residence permit card if you are allowed/not allowed to work while studying. If your residence permit card says “not allowed to work,” please contact the Swedish Migration Agency directly and ask for a clarification.

Since Futuregames is a higher vocational college and not a university/university college, our international graduates from the non-EU countries don’t have the permission to stay in Sweden after the graduation. However, before your study permit expires, there is a possibility to apply for a permit called “Resi­dence permit for looking for work after studies“. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that all applicants will be granted this permit since every individual’s case is different. If you have any questions about this permit, please contact the Swedish Migration Agency directly.

If you wish to work in Sweden after the graduation, you will be required to leave Sweden and apply for a work permit from abroad (either from your home country or from a country where you have permission to stay). Read all about the work permit requirements here.

If you are offered a job during your internship, your internship company will need to initiate the work permit application. Please read the information here carefully and introduce your employer to it before the end of your internship.

Citizens from EU countries don’t need to have a work permit to stay and work in Sweden.