The Swedish parliament is to vote on a plan that will facilitate for doctoral students from outside Europe routes for settlement in Sweden after graduation, by offering permanent residence permits.

Karin Granbom Ellison of the People’s Party (FP-Liberals), who will put the plan to MPs to be voted on 30 May, said: ‘The rules in Sweden need to be more flexible to attract the best students from abroad who could target a life in Sweden from the outset of their doctoral training.’

Currently, international doctoral candidates’ temporary residence permits do not lead to a permanent residence permit after graduation. The restrictions can also create problems when students travel outside Sweden during their doctoral studies.

However, there are currently 20,000 PhD students in Sweden and the Higher Education sector regards them as leaders in their sector, who could boost Swedish economy.

Karin Markides, rector of Chalmers University of Technology, wrote in the newspaper Dagens Nyheter: ‘Foreign doctoral candidates can be the leaders of the future. A large proportion of our doctoral students are born outside Sweden. Often, they have received their doctorate position in strong competition with Swedish applicants.’

This announcement comes after a long battle to gain more rights and exemptions for PhD students living in Sweden. Sweden’s Higher Education Ministry is requesting the parliament to give doctoral students better working conditions and rights.
 

The ministry wants to increase the number of doctoral students employed by higher education institutions, make insurance obligatory for them, and give doctoral students improved rights when they are ill or have children.

Last year, a People’s Party committee proposed a new form of residence permit that would give doctoral candidates from outside the European Union and European Economic Area the same rights as those from within Europe.

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Image: Riksdag, The Swedish Parliament in Stockholm.