Sweden — Work (Job-seeker permit for highly qualified (master's+))

Main requirements

You must have completed studies equivalent to a Swedish second-cycle qualification: a 60- or 120-credit master's, a 60–330-credit professional degree, or a PhD. You must intend to look for work or explore starting a business, support yourself, hold comprehensive health insurance and apply from outside Sweden (otherwise the application may be rejected).

Documents

Passport, master's or PhD degree and transcripts with official translations, bank statements, and comprehensive health insurance for the whole stay (urgent and other care, hospitalisation, emergency dental care and medical repatriation), and the signed UHR consent form (265611) for verifying your study documents.

Language

No formal language requirement, but strong English and ideally some Swedish are needed to find work.

Costs and proof of funds

Per the official source as of October 2026, you need bank assets of at least SEK 13,000 for each month applied for (SEK 117,000 for nine months) plus money for the return journey. Fee SEK 2,200. Maximum nine months, never beyond passport validity.

Steps and timeline

Apply online from Iran; if you cannot, fill in form 265511 and submit it at the Swedish Embassy in Tehran by appointment. Migrationsverket reports 75% of recent complete cases decided within 5 months, so plan accordingly.

Notes for Iranian applicants

Funds must be in your own name; whether and at what rate Iranian rial accounts are accepted is not stated officially, so check with Migrationsverket or the embassy before applying. The Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) checks that your master's corresponds to a Swedish second-cycle degree, so you must attach the signed consent form 265611 allowing UHR to contact your university to verify your documents. Biometrics or interviews are done at the Migration Section of the Swedish Embassy in Tehran by appointment. Men need a service completion or exemption card to exit.

After arrival (work while studying, post-study stay, path to permanent residence)

If you find a job during the permit, you apply for a work permit from inside Sweden (same 90% of median salary rule, SEK 34,470). To start a business you apply for a self-employment permit and may run the business while it is processed. Permanent residence normally comes through the work-permit track: at least four years working on a work permit within the past seven.