Questions on applying for the "sambo" visa.

Hello all,

First time posting here. Me and my partner are currently in the process of applying for the sambo visa that would allow me to move to Sweden, work there, etc. Now, the first question I have is for the actual application. There is a section titled "Visit at Swedish Mission Abroad" and then says "I wish to visit the Swedish mission abroad in: ". The only options here are the embassies in the capital cities of different countries. The Swedish migration website states that you could select the consulate that is closest to you for your interview, but I only get the option to select the embassies. I live nowhere near Washington DC and this would make an unnecessary trip seeing as there is a Swedish consulate in my city. What do I do in this case? Anybody who has seen this and could provide some input, I'd really appreciate it.

Second question is more of a 'what do you think' type. Me and my partner have known each other for 3 years now. We met online and we have visited each other 2 times. I visited Sweden for the summer last year, and she came to visit me in the US for the summer this year. We can't really visit each other more because of work, but now we're ready to be together in one country, and we think me making the move would make more sense career wise. Based on these two visits and the time that we've known each other, what is the probability that our application would get accepted? We're not married yet, and we haven't technically lived together, only on vacation but we talk to each other every day and are truly serious.. Do you think we have a case to get the visa? Just asking because we don't want to put all our eggs in one basket per se and waste a lot of time waiting for something that won't be accepted. If the shot of getting this visa is low for us, then it might be best to get married first and then apply for Sweden visa or maybe even for a US visa. Any ideas?

Thanks, all

Marriage , i think is the very best option. Cheers .happy married life in advance .

Hi J2,

You both have a lot to consider.  Regarding your application, the best thing to do is call the embassy during their customer service hours.   You will likely struggle to get a live person on the phone but once you do, they can tell you the rules.   Notice I say that they will not assist in finding a solution in your non-cookie cutter situation.  They will tell you the rules and let you determine what your desired course of action should be.  They will not offer guidance and thoughts on if they think you will be approved for a sambo visa.  You'll likely be told that you need to go to the embassy in DC rather than the consulate in your town because the embassy has the technology to capture the biometric information needed for your visa.

It's not always easy to get a sambo visa.  They will interview you both and will be looking to see how serious your situation is and how well you know each other.  They will ask mundane life questions to see how in synch you both are.  It's something like The Newlywed Game and you'll both need to sing the same song.  This is going to be difficult for you to show as you haven't been under one roof.

What do I think?   I'm not going to judge what is and isn't love or the right way to start a relationship or marriage.  I will tell you that as an American it's not as easy as you might think to get a start in Sweden?   I suggest you look at some of Jenna's posts on this board.  Even without the jaded perspective, much of what is stated in the threads is true. 

Questions I would want to know in order to share my thoughts on your situation:
What is your profession?
What will you do for work in Sweden?
Do you speak the language?
What city will you live in?
How much savings will you have when you arrive?
What city do you currently live in?
What's your educational background

I'm happy to be a sounding board if you need one.

Best,

Chris

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your thought out response. The reason I think me making the move makes more sense is because the majority of my work is done online. I don't really see my bosses besides the occasional Skype meeting and all I really need to do my job is a WiFi connection which I can have in Sweden. My partner is a teacher of Swedish and so sorry to say her degree is basically worthless here in the US. There's no market for her here and if she came she would be unemployed or doing a low end fast food job or something. I plan to move to Gothenburg, where she lives and has an apartment there. So money won't really be an issue since I will continue working my job now and language won't be an issue for the same reason. The only issue is just getting the visa permit.

That's what we're worried about. That if we apply and wait the super long process, there's a chance that we'll get denied and then all our plans sort of get crashed. We know each other very well, and I'm sure we could possibly ace any questions on each other, but I still don't that others will take us seriously because we haven't lived together and only met twice.

Just confused overall

My situation is similar to yours with work and I've been through the visa process in Gothenburg.  I've been living about 45 minutes outside Gothenburg for nearly two years.  I can probably share some information that you'd find valuable. 

***

I'm happy to take time on the phone to talk it through with you.  I have time tomorrow but will be in Portugal next week and available once again the following weekend.

Best,

Chris

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