https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Anna Metreveli, a Russian PhD student in sociolinguistics, had her application to switch to a new residence permit rejected on the grounds that she did not leave Sweden to reapply, which has left her education and her son's right to specialised education and healthcare in the country up in the air. https://www.thelocal.com/20260420/phd-student-refused-swedish-permit-and-told-to-apply-from-abroad-despite-sons-disability Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:28:36 +0200 phd-student-refused-swedish-permit-and-told-to-apply-from-abroad-despite-sons-disability The Centre for Justice has taken on Indian researcher Fahima Ayub Khan's migration court case, which her lawyer describes as "part of a much broader system failure" in Sweden. https://www.thelocal.com/20260409/we-are-not-bonded-labourers-university-researcher-fights-swedish-deportation-order Thu, 09 Apr 2026 07:29:53 +0200 we-are-not-bonded-labourers-university-researcher-fights-swedish-deportation-order Applications for Sweden's university autumn semester open on March 16th, and did you know that tuition-free degrees and shorter courses are available to a lot of foreign residents in the country, too? https://www.thelocal.com/20210415/who-can-study-for-free-in-sweden Thu, 15 Apr 2021 12:17:48 +0200 who-can-study-for-free-in-sweden Six out of ten foreign doctoral students stay in Sweden at least three years after graduating, but they struggle to compete with their Swedish peers on the job market. https://www.thelocal.com/20260303/six-in-ten-foreign-doctoral-students-still-in-sweden-three-years-after-graduating Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:02:20 +0100 six-in-ten-foreign-doctoral-students-still-in-sweden-three-years-after-graduating The vice-chancellors of four of Sweden's largest universities are warning that Europe could end up 'a scientific backwater' unless it deepens its collaboration with China. https://www.thelocal.com/20250625/swedish-universities-call-for-increased-collaboration-with-china Wed, 25 Jun 2025 11:00:50 +0200 swedish-universities-call-for-increased-collaboration-with-china Sweden has launched a number of initiatives in recent months aimed at foreign researchers, but what do researchers themselves think Sweden should be doing to make the country a more attractive choice for academics? https://www.thelocal.com/20250506/five-things-sweden-should-do-to-attract-foreign-researchers Tue, 06 May 2025 16:20:26 +0200 five-things-sweden-should-do-to-attract-foreign-researchers As part of a long-term plan to attract researchers based outside of Europe to Sweden, the government has tasked the Swedish Research Council with making information about support available to researchers more accessible. https://www.thelocal.com/20250505/swedish-government-launches-new-plan-to-attract-foreign-researchers Mon, 05 May 2025 11:37:41 +0200 swedish-government-launches-new-plan-to-attract-foreign-researchers Richard Mason, originally from Wales, moved to Sweden in 2020 for a postdoctoral position at Umeå University. The Local spoke to him about his research and his experience of life in northern Sweden as an international academic. https://www.thelocal.com/20250424/my-swedish-career-try-to-understand-how-the-swedish-system-works Thu, 24 Apr 2025 13:57:11 +0200 my-swedish-career-try-to-understand-how-the-swedish-system-works The government has appointed an inquiry to look into whether legislative changes are needed to strengthen academic freedom – a topic which has grabbed headlines after the Trump government's attempts to crack down on diversity and inclusion initiatives at universities. https://www.thelocal.com/20250425/sweden-launches-inquiry-to-safeguard-academic-freedom-at-universities Fri, 25 Apr 2025 16:58:52 +0200 sweden-launches-inquiry-to-safeguard-academic-freedom-at-universities It should be easier for foreign researchers and doctoral students to travel in and out of Sweden while they’re in-between residence permits, a new government inquiry argues as part of a drive to attract and retain key talent. https://www.thelocal.com/20241209/travel-visas-and-other-ways-sweden-wants-to-make-life-easier-for-foreign-researchers Mon, 09 Dec 2024 13:09:31 +0100 travel-visas-and-other-ways-sweden-wants-to-make-life-easier-for-foreign-researchers Despite the fact that international students perform well once they arrive in Sweden, waiting times for student permits risk damaging Swedish competitiveness, a new report suggests. https://www.thelocal.com/20241121/long-processing-times-for-swedish-student-permits-could-deter-international-applicants Thu, 21 Nov 2024 16:13:25 +0100 long-processing-times-for-swedish-student-permits-could-deter-international-applicants Several students have reached out to The Local to complain about long waits for a residence permit to stay in Sweden and look for work after finishing their studies. https://www.thelocal.com/20241009/foreign-students-face-long-waits-for-job-hunting-permit-to-stay-in-sweden Wed, 09 Oct 2024 11:42:40 +0200 foreign-students-face-long-waits-for-job-hunting-permit-to-stay-in-sweden In a new scheme by the Migration Agency, applicants for a Swedish work or student permit will be able to verify their passport digitally instead of having to travel to a Swedish embassy – but so far only if they come from one of the 23 countries involved in the pilot. https://www.thelocal.com/20240520/sweden-launches-digital-passport-checks-for-work-permit-applicants-in-pilot-project Mon, 20 May 2024 08:38:01 +0200 sweden-launches-digital-passport-checks-for-work-permit-applicants-in-pilot-project The government has tasked a new inquiry with figuring out how to make Sweden a more attractive destination for foreign students, doctoral students and researchers – while cracking down on permit cheats. https://www.thelocal.com/20240408/sweden-to-ramp-up-drive-to-retain-foreign-students-and-researchers Mon, 08 Apr 2024 17:06:36 +0200 sweden-to-ramp-up-drive-to-retain-foreign-students-and-researchers Sweden scrapped university-level teaching for incarcerated people with a high school diploma almost four years ago. US-based reporter Charlotte West looks into the reasons behind the decision in an article published in partnership with Open Campus. https://www.thelocal.com/20230915/why-prisoners-in-sweden-can-no-longer-study-at-university Fri, 15 Sep 2023 11:36:16 +0200 why-prisoners-in-sweden-can-no-longer-study-at-university Help, I'm starting university in Sweden but I don't have a place to live! Read these top tips. https://www.thelocal.com/20180219/a-guide-to-finding-housing-for-students-in-sweden Mon, 19 Feb 2018 18:40:22 +0100 a-guide-to-finding-housing-for-students-in-sweden