Hi, I am a British Citizen who has recently applied for a Residence Permit. Currently, as an EU Citizen, I am allowed to apply and stay in Sweden as the permit processes. However as most of the world knows at the moment, Britain is leaving the European Union. While the UK has offered settled status for EU citizens, the EU has not guaranteed anything for UK citizens abroad. While I currently reside in Sweden I am under the guise I can stay while my permit processes and me and boyfriend are cohabiting, in order to a woman at the Migrationsverket.
My case is that me and my Swedish boyfriend, and we are 18 and 21 respectively. We have been together since February 2018, introduced through mutual friends, although we were long distance from February till September, when I decided to move in and apply for a residence permit. I have visited Sweden 3 times for a total of 33 days across all times in Sweden, and a total of visited his family and extended family that life up in Northern Sweden, and he has met my family as well. My boyfriend has a job that can financially support us both, while I sort out getting my personnummer in order to study Swedish to get a qualification, to study in order to hopefully become an English teacher. We have our own rented house with more than enough house space and fulfils all requirements with a contract that has my name in it. So we fulfil the house and maintenance requirements and there is a document proving we live together. My application is complete, and after a visit to the Migration office, I was met with a warm reception that everything should be okay, which calmed me.
In a sense, this is my last chance to live with him before Brexit, and I want to assure myself it will be fine, if it is. I have seen many say they have been refused under not being serious enough, which I worry is true since we only got together in February, were long distance and we intend to live sambo until we decide to get engaged or married, we are not married nor have any kids. Therefore I feel anxious that we are being seen in a non serious light, therefore will be denied a permit. Also, my Swedish is sub-par. Since I know German as well, I can read half of written Swedish, and pick up words easier as Swedish to me is a weird bridge language between German and English. Since I recently got my qualification in German, I did not want to harm my studies by studying one language dangerously similar to the other at the same time. So while we fulfil the requirements to live, culturally I feel like I am not up to scratch yet, which is being stopped partly by the uncertainty over residence permits.
I do not want to rush anything. Doing so would feel unnatural to me, to him, and possibly even to Migrationsverket. However there is an overarching fear of a no deal Brexit. It has been stated that
'UK citizens living in EU countries legally will be allowed to stay'.
Since I have applied for a residence permit, am I 'legally' in the country under EU laws, even when the EU leaves? Are they more likely to reject my application just because of the uncertainty of Brexit, or the fact that we are both young, intend to be sambo for a while, and have been together just under a year in a long distance relationship? I worry that I'm seen as nothing special, and that we won't be allowed to be together despite this literally being our end goal, and being separated again would crush everything we wanted together.
To me it would seem peculiar if I was asked to leave, despite applying as an EU citizen before March 2019. While nobody knows, this would without a doubt be horrible for both of us - seeing as I am under the guise that I can stay here legally while it processes, so I have moved most of my life over (since lumbering it on my ageing parents would be rude as hell, who are just about to retire.)
The uncertainties of Brexit are obviously hard to predict, however I feel advice from people on this issue would help, as it would rally my thoughts onto a single issue or a cluster of them. I'm susceptible to panic attacks over uncertainty and issues I cannot control. Advice would be greatly appreciated, if you have knowledge you can share! 
If there is anything wrong that I need to know, please do tell me!
Many thanks.
Moving to Sweden as a British Citizen - general advice needed
Mee to
Hello.
I am a British Citizen living in Sweden and have recently received my person number. I have lived here for 1 year and to give you some idea of how long the process can take, it took 11 months to receive my number.
My partner moved out 18 months prior to me (also a British Citizen), his number took 6 weeks!?!.
When I arrived I had somewhere to live and someone to support me. But without a person number I could not get a bank account, add my name to a tenancy agreement, apply for a job or start official SFI.
So I wonder how you have your name on a rental agreement? Anyway.
You are an EU Citizen. You need to go to Skatteverket rather than the Migration Office.
Things can take a long time to get moving here and the process very much differs from one individual to another. Even though my partner had started his own business and had offered me a job.....plus had a house etc. We still had to try and prove it was a real job offer and that we were a couple. We have been together for 20 years but as we had not been living together for the 6 months prior to me coming here. The lady dealing with my case seemed to think something was wrong. I found out afterward that as I had been offered a full time contract this was the concern. In Sweden jobs are very hard to find and it is usual to have a 6 months trial period before receiving a permanent contract. As once you have a permanent contract you can work toward a credit history, buying land and property etc. Rental properties can be hard to find. Buying is actually easier.......if you have a full time contract.
Sorry. I am going on a bit now.
Hope this helps.
😁😁
We are renting from his parents, they own two houses and agreed for us to rent the smaller one, and worked up a rental agreement. Since I dont have a personnummer yet, its really just to show that I am abiding by the tenancy rules, and once I get it I will probably email with an up to date tenancy agreement as I can start to pay rent with my partner plus the job I am looking at is in contact with the tax agency, if I could get proof of work then I get a personnummer, so I am looking on the bright side, if not then a coordination number hopefully. My bf has money saved (he worked a tonne in the past year, plus savings from parents) to buy and once I get a job we want to save to buy a place
From what you're saying you think my case is fine? I have been worrying about the legitimacy of long distance couples in resident permits, even if it states you can acquire it on the grounds of becoming future cohabitees, and we have. The people at the migration office seem happy to deal with our case and say even the minor mistake on my application shouldn't be a problem, and that everything should go smoothly, and couples similar to me have passed through okay being together for shorter times in a long distance relationship. However I am susceptible to panicking over small issues and I panic read articles that dont even pertain to my case haha. Its really just getting the ball rolling with application for a permit, and a personnummer. Swedish learning at home will have to do while I wait for classes if everything goes well!
Sweden has ID system. UK has passport system. I guess that can be surprised for you. I used to live in UK and I had also lots of troubles there. Every countries has different systems and rules. I hope that you will handle all which is coming sooner or later. According to my experience, It seems everything fine after you got ID but It is not. I guess that people need to be a new country at least 2 years than you may understand a bit. Welcome to Sweden! Hope that you prepare for the Brexit as well.
Sounds like you will be fine. Especially as you are looking to join the 10% of Sweden who work for the Swedish government. They almost have a vested interest in completing your application in a timely fashion. 😉
Brexit will not be an issue regarding you moving here and remaining here.
Just remember to swap your UK drivers license for a Swedish one prior to Brexit. If you swap it before it costs (I think) about the equivalent of £75. Otherwise after Brexit you will need to start again with the theory and practice. Then you are looking at in the region, of the equivalent of £800.
Ahh! I didn't learn to drive before moving due to studying etc. plus family issues which most of my money went on. But I want to learn in Sweden. Especially since the city is 2 hours away when walking! And I thought my hometown back in the UK was remote
Unfortunately everything with the job just fell apart yesterday evening, due to the misunderstanding of hours etc so I cant acquire a personnummer through that. I feel like I have no direction but I am really intent on work, so I want to apply for a coordination number. I felt a little lost, like this meant I couldnt stay in Sweden because I wouldnt register right of residence quickly enough before brexit, which could even become obsolete, plus worries of my residence permit. I just hope the permit processes fine even if I dont find a job in time. Im even sending in photos of my logs of plane journeys to and from Sweden, photos of him and my family, as well as some of me in Northern Sweden. People are saying it should be fine, great if so, but I still worry haha
You are actually worrying about nothing. As an EU national you are entitled to live here. If someone wishes to be pedantic....the rules state you must leave Sweden for 24 hrs in every 3 month period until you have a person number.
.........as there is no passport control between Sweden and Denmark.......who would actually be able to prove you didn't go there. I really do not believe you would be asked anyway.
Sorry to hear about your job. Swedish bureaucracy is not known throughout Europe for its efficiency. Paperwork here is king.....but finding someone who knows what paperwork is needed, where to find it, what to do with it when completed and how to communicate all of this.....well.
But. You have someone who is willing and able to support you, including a roof over your head. None of this you are asking Sweden to help you with. So whilst your paperwork could take a while to be processed and you may get very frustrated waiting. Just use the time to get to know the lay of the land as it were.
I really do not think Brexit is an issue, nor will it be even if no deals are made. But one question, if you don't mind? Why are you dealing with the Migrationverket and not Skatteverket?
We generally have enough information from Skatteverket about a personnummer, being registered in the population index etc. Generally money issues and personnummer issues are a one way street for me, everything was laid out plain and confirmed by multiple sources. My boyfriend directed me to Migrationverket for issues regarding the permit, and nobody knows on brexit (however the UK highlights a grace period till 2021 regardless of a no deal, so I hope the same is true for me) but generally the aura surrounding everything has been great.
Recently I was an extreme pessimist about things but it's getting better, but sorry if its a bit frustrating to deal with haha
I too am from UK. We moved to Sweden around 10 years ago and obtaining a personnummer was easy - it took around a month, though we understand things have changed sice then. We are currently in France a lot but retain links/strong connections with Sweden. Brexit is an issue but I believe Sweden will be a refuge fromits worst excesses because there is an inherant decency withn the cultural heart of the country. Indeed, we are considering a return full-time to Sweden on basis that as we have our numbers, are in the system, keep ur car registered, taxed, insured etc., in the country, we will largely be ignored by that same over-arching system. Fingers crossed you will be fine in the nearish future. Keep the faith. Sweden will help, I'm sure!
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