Student blogs

In honour of the admission results getting published, congratulations to everyone who got accepted to Karolinska Institutet! All the hard work and anxiety has finally paid off and soon you will be on your way to Stockholm as a KI student.

However, as you prepare for this huge transition, there are a multitude of things you now need to sort out and prioritise in order to start your programme here in August without any roadblocks. Here are some of the most important things to prioritise now that you have been accepted to Karolinska Institutet.

I realised while writing this blog that the list and information I would like to put up is quite extensive, so this will be a two-part blog. This part contains information regarding the residence permit for studies and important bank-related information. The next part will contain information on housing, scholarships, and connecting with other students. Don’t worry though, I’m not an internet influencer- both parts will go up at the same time. So, let’s jump right in.

Visa/residence permit

Right. Arguably the most important post-acceptance procedure you should get started with is sorting out your visa or residence permit situation. What kind of document you would require in order to study and live in Sweden, depends on the country of your citizenship, so go to the Swedish Migration Agency’s website and find out the requirements you have to fulfill in order to study and live in Sweden.

The first step would be to find out if you have to pay tuition, or an installment of it before starting your studies. If you do, pay the fee and get started on your residence permit application- the earlier, the better.

Here come a couple of useful tips:

1. Make sure you have a valid passport. Check the date of expiration and get it renewed if need be. If, for example, your passport expires on October 20th 2024 and you apply for a residence permit without renewing it, chances are that your application might get rejected. If not, your residence permit will only be valid until October 20th 2024.
2. Keep all your documents in one place, so that you’re not scrambling for them at the last minute. I made a separate folder on my computer with all my up-to-date documents and saved it on my desktop for easy access while finishing my application.
3. When showing bank account statements (for individuals coming to Sweden without family/dependents), make sure that you are the sole account-holder and that all required funds are present in the same account. I will continue with this topic in the next section as well.

Note: Read through the instructions on the Migration Agency’s website thoroughly on your own, and take their word over mine in case there is discrepancy you notice.

Give this page a read as well, as it contains useful information.

Bank account

Since I came to Sweden without my family or significant other, the information I can give applies to individuals coming to Sweden. Please conduct your own research regardless of what you read here.

Like I said, while applying for a Swedish residence permit, you have to show the agency proof of the fact that you have enough money to support yourself in Sweden. Refer to this link on the Migration Agency’s website to know exactly what you need to show them while applying. Additionally, look at this link to know everything about proof of financial support.

The most important tip that I can give you here is- once you show the funds in your bank account, it is imperative that you don’t send the money back. For example, if your parents are financing your cost of living here, once you receive your residence permit, please don’t send all that money back to them. While they may have the means to send you the money as and when you require, the authorities here need you to have that money. Since your residence permit is only valid upto a year, you will have to apply to extend your permit and show an updated bank statement. If it is clear that you have only been showing the funds when asked for, your application will get rejected.

The moral of the story here is-

• Read the instructions on the Swedish Migration Agency’s website well enough that you can chant the information in your sleep.
• Once you show the funds, keep the funds. Don’t send them back and forth- your future self will thank you for it.

Lastly, when you are in Sweden, you will need to pay for things here (genius, I know). So get started to acquiring an international debit card, or any means through which you can seamlessly make payments in Sweden until you have a Swedish bank account. Additionally, many students use Revolut for ease of transactions between each other so if your country and bank support payment through Revolut, it is a useful app to have until Swish becomes your lord and saviour.

That is it for part one! I know this seems overwhelming, and it probably actually is. However, as long as you stay organised, do thorough research, and follow the right instructions, you will be just fine! Part two to this blog is up now as well, so you can hop right over to that. KI’s Digital Ambassadors have written a plethora of blogs covering all kinds of topics regarding your “pre-arrival” to Sweden, so make sure you give those a read as well. Additionally, we also have YouTube and Instagram channels that push out a regular stream of useful content, so check them out too!

See you in part two!