This is a very useful document to find answers to your questions regarding citizenship and permanent residency:
http://cms.horus.be/files/99935/MediaArc...hip_en.pdf
It is worth reading as a whole, but pay more attention to page 10 where it says:
"The Directive does not cover asylum seekers, those
enjoying temporary protection or a subsidiary form of
protection, students, except for doctoral students, and
diplomatic personnel."
So, my intuition is that for PhD students, it's counted!
You may compare different countries residency permit in this document as well.
Look ate page 18:
Third country nationals can apply for naturalisation in
the member states after varying periods of legal residence:
Austria: 5 years.
Belgium: 3 years.
Denmark: 7 years.
Finland: 18 years.
France: 5 years.
Germany: at the latest after 8 years.
Greece: 10 years.
Irland: 5 years.
Italy: 10 years.
Luxembourg: 10 years.
The Netherlands: 5 years.
Portugal: 10 years.
Spain: 10 years.
Sweden: 5 years.
UK: 5 years.
But these info might have slightly changed, since the date of the doc goes back to 2001, but many of these information are still valid
This was the answer to many of my questions about Belgium!
Good luck
http://cms.horus.be/files/99935/MediaArc...hip_en.pdf
It is worth reading as a whole, but pay more attention to page 10 where it says:
"The Directive does not cover asylum seekers, those
enjoying temporary protection or a subsidiary form of
protection, students, except for doctoral students, and
diplomatic personnel."
So, my intuition is that for PhD students, it's counted!
You may compare different countries residency permit in this document as well.
Look ate page 18:
Third country nationals can apply for naturalisation in
the member states after varying periods of legal residence:
Austria: 5 years.
Belgium: 3 years.
Denmark: 7 years.
Finland: 18 years.
France: 5 years.
Germany: at the latest after 8 years.
Greece: 10 years.
Irland: 5 years.
Italy: 10 years.
Luxembourg: 10 years.
The Netherlands: 5 years.
Portugal: 10 years.
Spain: 10 years.
Sweden: 5 years.
UK: 5 years.
But these info might have slightly changed, since the date of the doc goes back to 2001, but many of these information are still valid
This was the answer to many of my questions about Belgium!
Good luck
