Work visas may prevent foreign student exodus

By Ann Törnkvist. Sweden could become more attractive to non-EU foreign students if it granted them the right to stay in Sweden to look for work after graduation, the Migration Board (Migrationsverket) has suggested in a new report.
Sweden lost more than half of its non-EU foreign students in the year following the 2011 introduction of tuition fees, according to the report. Several other EU countries give students a window of opportunity to find work after graduation. The report recommends that Sweden look into the same option in order not to deprive the Swedish labour market of well-educated employees.
“If this reform is possible politically speaking, I don’t know,” Migration Board researcher Bernd Parusel told The Local.
"I can't issue a recommendation, just suggest they look into it."
The Migration Board also suggests that a student’s spouse be able to work in Sweden. Some parts of the visa process have already been simplified for students. Read more...