Can you Believe this SKIT?

[Carolyn]

I received a letter today from Migrationsverket, saying I am considered to have abandoned my residency in Sweden! This after numerous e-mails to them back home and assurances that, hey, no problem, just get in touch with us when you get back.

So I am filing an appeal, but also beginning a new applicatoin process just in case. What a stinking day!

[Brandy]

How long have you been away?

We were in NJ for 6½yrs. Although I didn't have to go through the big to do, I still had to reregister and have to visit them every year for so many years.

I wonder if it made a difference because my husband was there on a contract from his swedish company.

But Carolyn, that sucks! You think you are planning ahead, making sure everything will go smoothly, and then just like with any government agency, everyone gives you a different answer.

Fill out form #9, oh no, no, no, you were gone for so many years, form # 9 is void because of that, fill out form 22, oh you were gone for that reason, then you need to fill in form 105, etc.,....


Good Luck with the beauracracy!

[Carolyn]

Brandy,

Did you have your permanent residency before you moved to New Jersey or were you still on a temporary permit? When I left Sweden, I had lived there for 18 months, and that's why we were SO careful to try to do the right thing, even though I realized the time out of the countrywould count against time towards my citizenship.

I know another lady who was on a temporary and she waltzed off to Malaysia for over a year with her Swedish husband and they let her back in without a whimper and also let her refile from Sweden. But according to the letter I have, I can appeal, but must stay out of Sweden AND if denied, I have to start the app process all over again, so even though I AM going to appeal, I am also filing the new application by Friday, just to avoid any waste of time. Watch them tell me that I did THAT wrong too.

[Brandy]

I think I always had a "permanent" permit. It said permanent from the get go, however I had to go every three months the first year for stamps, and every 6 the second year, and once the following year. I had lived here for a total of 3 years before we moved back. But when we moved I was only 6 months away from completing the process to get the ten year permanent permit. Now they only come in 3 year varieties if I understand correctly. I know they talked about that I could reapply from within Sweden when we arrived back. So I'm back in the process of going every year to get the stamps.

Maybe they are stricter now since this Shengal treaty or whatever it is called.

[Carrie]

That totally sucks! I'm so sorry to hear it, Carolyn. Hopefully your appeal will go through. Do you have anything in writing from them saying that you will be fine, or was it all phone calls? It's smart to go ahead with the paperwork just in case, but what a sucky day!

Carrie

[Sabeine]

Wow this stinks Carolyn.

First off, how do they know that you are not in Sweden? Talk about "big brother" watching!

Can you contact one of the Swedish embassies in the States and ask them what they think is a good way to proceed?

Now I am getting a little nervous. Brandy wrote that she had permanent residency from the beginning, right? Then she says that she had to go and get stamps every now and then after that? What are those stamps?

I got permanent before I moved here. They sent me a letter with my passport explaining why. In the passport was my permanent residency sticker. I have not gotten any stamps since I moved here. I have not renewed anything either. I thought that if one is permanent you don't have to do that. Should I do this? Now I'm confused. I also thought that in your case Carolyn that since you have been gone for unders 2 years, that it would not matter. That is what I always heard, so why now are they making a deal about it?

[Carolyn]

Okay, even if you have permanent, apparently you have to get the stamp in the passport renewed. You don't have to pay for it, but you do have to go to Migrationsverket and get a new stamp.

I do have an e-mail that was sent to us from another worker at Migrationsverket, which we contacted several times, saying that I could either (a) reapply from the States, if i wanted to, and they would refund the 500 SEK we had sent them, (b) just come back into Sweden on a tourist visa and reapply there (HELLO! weren't we told specifically not to DO THIS???), and if we wanted to go this route, they would just keep the 500 SEK and apply it there.

I'm going to file the appeal, but I'm also going to spend the extra money and go ahead and start the application process all over again. One nice thing, they DO say in the paperwork that if we've been living together overseas, then I'll be granted a permanent right away, so I guess that's something.

I don't think I want to chance just coming back and trying to apply again in Sweden, only to be told to get out of the country.

Well, there are positive things to this. If I'm considered a new immigrant, I can still move lots more household stuff back with NO duties and I might just make them give me SFI all over again so I can get a väl godkänd instead of just god känd!

[Brandy]

Carolyn,

I think you can bring your household items regardless. You can bring in any items that you've owned and used outside Sweden without paying tax. I beilieve phones are not allowed, but I've never heard of anyone leaving theirs behind because of this rule, but they do confiscate them 8or make you pay tax) if they see them at customs, regardless of if they've been used or not.

I agree with you to start the process to be safe, but I do think that because you are married, have been living here before, had a previous permit, etc., that you are OK to reapply in Sweden. That is what I did. Call a couple more times, get a few more different answers, just to be more unsure! Carolyn, I'm holding my thumbs for you!

Sabeine,

Just call migrations verket and explain that you've heard that you need some sort of stamp, your not sure if this is true or not in your case, that this is the first you've heard of this stamp business. I'm sure you'll be OK. I'm sure you aren't the first that this happened to!

Good Luck All!

[Sabeine]

I think I need to look into the stamp thing further.
How long is it after you move here that one is supposed to get a new stamp renewal?
This past March, Anders and I went to the States, and when we came back here and went through immigration they looked at my passport, asked if I had a visa/permit and then I showed them the sticker in the passport. They studied it, and then said "okej", and let me through.
Does this mean that I don't need it, or did I just get lucky?
I am getting a bit nervous now, because I have a job here and I wouldn't want to lose it because of something stupid like not getting a stamp in time.

[Brandy]

What does your sticker say? You might have the three year stamp to begin with. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you aren't the first. I believe it was about a year after we came back. Next time I go is three years.

I bet you are all set. I'm almost positive I got a letter telling me it was time to go get renewed.

Don't worry!

[Carolyn]

It is three years from the date on your PUT, and I know you didn't get to Sweden till about June of 2003, so you should be okay for the next 6 months. Check the date you were issued the PUT in your passport and just make a note to head on over to Migrationsverket office and get a new one before then. You apparently don't have to pay and you don't even have to still be with Anders, although we all don't want to see THAT happen. You just have to renew every three years from now on, unless you decide to go for citizenship, which you can do at the end of your first three years, also at Migrationsverket, but a long form and you need to pay 1,500 SEK.

[Sabeine]

Can one apply for citizenship after 3 years?

I was told it was 5 years if we weren't married, and 3 years if we were.

[Carolyn]

Well, I am only going by word of mouth, that you needed to be married or sambo and then it was 3 years, or 5 years for refugees, but I could be wrong about the sambo part.

[Sabeine]

I thought that it would be strange having a difference for marrieds vs. sambos here since they are recognized as the same. I have just heard the 3 or 5 yr thing from other Swedes. I don't know if that is true or not.

How long does the process take? Does anyone here know? I am not in a rush, I just wonder do they take and hold your passport like they did when applying for residency here in Sweden?

Lastly, is it for certain that one does not have to give up their existing citizenship? For instance, when my parents moved from to the States, they became U.S. citizens. They had to give up their Swedish citizenship in order to do this. They didn't mind and have been U.S. citizens since 1964. I however would not like to give up my U.S. citizenship, I would like to have dual. Although many have said it is possible, is anyone really certain this is possible? Doesn't the U.S. look differently upon Americans that are dual? Are they considered by others as people that only claim American citizenship but aren't really American anymore? I just wouldn't want problems.

[Sabeine]

On the permanent residency sticker it says under the date of expiration:

"Giltigt t.o.m" (valid until) 23-05-03

Does that mean May 23rd, 2003

or does it mean March 23rd, 2005?

I'm betting on the first one. In which case I had NO idea that I was supposed to renew this. When I got an attached letter telling me that I had permanent residency in Sweden, it did not mention getting a renewal of any kind. When something is called "permanent" you don't think about that sort of thing. Does anyone know how long it takes? Does it take as long as when one applies for a permit to move here?