25M from the UK looking to move to Sweden (Uppsala) with Swedish girlfriend. Any advice on visas/life in Sweden?
Hey everyone,
I’m 25, from the UK, originally from an Asian background, and I’m looking into moving to Sweden in the future. My girlfriend is Swedish and lives in Uppsala, and we’ve been together for 2 years now.
I’m mainly looking for practical advice from people who’ve gone through the visa/residence permit process or moved to Sweden themselves.
We actually had a rejection before because my girlfriend didn’t meet the maintenance/accommodation requirements at the time. She’s currently studying, and while she does receive SEN-related income/support, apparently that didn’t count in the assessment, so the application was mostly savings-based. One issue was also not having long-term accommodation.
So I was wondering:
Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Any tips for strengthening a future application?
How difficult did people find the process overall?
How easy is it to find work once you are here provided you can speak the language?
As for life in Sweden generally, I’d also love to hear people’s experiences. I know people often say Swedes can seem a bit closed off socially at first, but I do Muay Thai and MMA so I’m hoping joining gyms/clubs will help a lot once my Swedish improves.
My girlfriend also has a solid friend group already, which probably helps.
I already spend a lot of time in a year in Sweden visiting her anyway, so I’ve had a bit of experience with day-to-day life there already, but I’d still appreciate any honest advice from people who’ve made the move long term.
Thanks! 🇸🇪