We get asked, can international students work in Sweden?, a lot, so here’s the response. If you are an EU citizen studying in Sweden you are permitted to work. Other third-country-nationals who have permits for studies may be able to work depending on the level of studies.
Can Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students work in Sweden?
Individuals who have been accepted to a Swedish university and will be studying a full time Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programme will in most cases be able to work. When the Migration Agency approves your permit and you have been issued a residence permit card, it will state on the back of the card that you are permitted to work.
This will generally be stated as “Får arbeta” (meaning “allowed to work”). Students accepted to university or college for these types of studies will only receive a residence permit, but are exempt from the requirement of holding a work permit. There are no restrictions on how much or how long you can work, as long as you keep studying full time and not reduce your study hours to work.
This is why the Migration Agency will specify that whether or not you are allowed to work on your residence permit card. It will also be stated in the decision letter itself, so we would recommend that you check this before you start any employment in Sweden.
Other studies
If you are not accepted to a university or college and have perhaps been accepted to a vocational education instead, it is likely that you will not be permitted to work. For these students, we would recommend that you check the decision letter and residence permit card as it will be stated on those if you are permitted to work. However, from our experience the exemption from the requirement to hold a work permit is only implemented for students studying at a Swedish university or college.