Moving to Sweden with my Pinay girlfriend

Hi all

I am a Danish citizen who met a nice Filipina girl a couple of years ago. We have visited each other regularly - me going to the Philippines for all my vacations - and she has been here once on a 3-months-visitors visa.

We are both getting tired of a long distance relationship and want to live together somewhere in the world. As the immigration rules here in Denmark are quite strict (unless we marry, which I´m not really ready for yet) - like many other Danes - we have been thinking about relocating to Sweden as a possibility.

Personally I work in the Financial Sector here in Denmark - and I´m tired of my current employer - so I wouldn´t mind looking for a new job in the Copenhagen area - whilst living in Sweden. Even it won´t be easy for me to find a job in the Copenhagen area, realistically it is possible.

But this post concerns my girlfriend more than me. Currently my girlfriend lives in the Philippines where she works as an assistant chef in a large restaurant chain.

I have visited the homepage of "Migrationsverket" - which are the Swedish immigration authorities. As far as I can see, it would be possible for my girlfriend to obtain a permit to stay in Sweden, once she has a job offer from a swedish employer, a job offer that fulfils the requirements, set up by the Swedish immigration authorities.

I would like to hear from e.g. other Pinays, currently living in Sweden: How was your way to Sweden? Where did you look for jobs? What sector are you working in? Did you speak swedish before you went to Sweden, and is that a mandatory requirement from most employers? Did you find it difficult to find housing in Sweden?

If you are working in the restaurant / "kockar"-business - was it difficult for you to find a job? Are there any decent jobs that also pay a fair salary? My girlfriend has explained to me that she wouldn´t mind working in the cleaning-business for a beginning too - if that could be the path to get to Sweden.

I know this is probably not going to be easy for me and my girlfriend - but we are just currently looking at, what is a realistic option for both of us at the moment.

Any comments are much appreciated! Thank you!