Iceland Slashes Stay From 3 Years To Just Months For Only 2 Categories Of Foreigners
- Iceland's Directorate of Immigration announced new rules that cut the post-graduation stay period for certain foreign nationals studying in the country
- Foreign graduates on a student permit who completed a Bachelor's, Master's or Doctoral degree in Iceland can now only stay a maximum of 18 months to job seek, down from 3 years
- Doctoral graduates seeking to renew a specialist permit to look for work based on their expertise now face a reduced maximum stay of just 12 months
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Iceland has significantly tightened the amount of time certain foreign graduates can remain in the country after completing their studies.
The changes were introduced through amendments to the Icelandic Act on Foreign Nationals and the Foreign Nationals' Right to Work Act, passed by Iceland's Parliament.
Source: UGC
Two specific categories of permit holders are directly affected by the reduced timelines.
Student Permit Holders Face Shorter Job-Search Window
Under the previous rules, foreign nationals who graduated from an Icelandic university could renew their student residence permit for up to three years after finishing their degree, using that time to search for employment aligned with their qualifications. That window has now been cut to a maximum of 18 months.
To be eligible for this post-study permit renewal, graduates must have completed a Bachelor's, Master's or Doctoral degree at a recognised Icelandic university.
The permit allows them to remain in the country while actively seeking work that corresponds to their academic background.
Doctoral Graduates on Specialist Permits Also Affected
The second category affected covers foreign nationals who completed a doctoral degree in Iceland and wish to stay on a specialist residence permit to seek employment based on their area of expertise.
These graduates can now renew their specialist permit for a maximum of 12 months, a notable reduction from the previous arrangement.
One provision that remains favourable for this group is that a separate work permit is not required in order to obtain the specialist residence permit, meaning doctoral graduates are not burdened with an additional application process while searching for work.
Both changes form part of a broader set of immigration amendments that Iceland's Directorate of Immigration said affect international students, post-study job seeking, short-term residence permits, and how applications are processed.
Iceland lists conditions for citizenship
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Iceland's Directorate of Immigration outlines six conditions that all citizenship applicants must satisfy before their application can be approved Applicants must pass an Icelandic language test, though exemptions exist for elderly residents, children, and those with certain medical conditions.
Source: Legit.ng
