(edit title) Visa/Permit/Citizenship Support Group A quarantine for those of us losing our minds Options

[Bellav]

@Alysious, recently I've been hearing that if you are a parent to Swedish children, than you can apply for the permit from within Sweden. I'd say dig into this information, and if it is true, scrap your current permit, go to Sweden and live with your family, and apply from there instead. If you were to travel to Sweden via Norway, I think they're having boarder checks atm, however not entirely sure if they're checking between the Norwegian and Swedish borders.

[wombatsauce]

@Alysious, recently I've been hearing that if you are a parent to Swedish children, than you can apply for the permit from within Sweden. I'd say dig into this informa ... (show full quote)

@Alysious, recently I've been hearing that if you are a parent to Swedish children, than you can apply for the permit from within Sweden. I'd say dig into this information, and if it is true, scrap your current permit, go to Sweden and live with your family, and apply from there instead. If you were to travel to Sweden via Norway, I think they're having boarder checks atm, however not entirely sure if they're checking between the Norwegian and Swedish borders. ... (hide full quote)

I wish there were a way of finding out 100% if this is the case or not. I am in the same boat and this week will have been 6 months away from my two children, ages 2 and 4. I would love to know if I can pack up my life here and head over there, then apply. I know I would not be able to obtain a PN yet or anything, however I could be with my children and watch them instead of them being in day care/pre-school, and would not have to be thousands of miles away supporting this confusing life.

Anyway it would be great to know. I am planning to travel to Sweden in December, staying for around 2 weeks. I am not informing anyone of this, but will send them a message with the travel info when I return. Also, I need to renew my passport because this has taken so long, and it expires in March of 2018, so there is concern now that it will possibly expire right after I get my decision at this point. I have confirmed from MV that it is no problem to renew my passport during the process, I must just send them the new passport info once I have it.

[Bellav]

Maybe contact a lawyer in Sweden. They'd probably know their stuff, if getting through to MV isn't helpful.

[mjennin2]

I linked this up to the group already, but this is what MV has to say about it:

If you have or are expecting children in Sweden

If you are in Sweden without a valid residence permit, you may in certain cases receive a new residence permit without having to leave the country. This applies to anyone who is the parent and guardian of a child who has a residence permit or who is a Swedish citizen, and those who have or are expecting children with a person who is a Swedish citizen or who has a permanent residence permit. You must also live with the child.

For this it is required that:

1) You fulfill the conditions for a residence permit to live with someone in Sweden
2) it is clear that you would have received a residence permit if you had submitted your application before coming to Sweden and
3) it is not reasonable to demand that you return to your home country to apply.

The child's best interests

The impact on your child of being separated from his or her parent determines whether or not you can be granted a residence permit without having to leave Sweden. Your application may be rejected if

1) You do not meet the requirements for a residence permit to live with someone in Sweden
2) It is likely that the embassy will be able to process your application within a reasonable period of time
3) It is believed that your child will not be harmed by your temporary separation.

Your application may also be rejected if you have a criminal record or have been an illegal resident, or if you have provided false information.

Jacob: in your case, I think we can all agree you meet #1 of the first set of requirements. For #3, the question would be if it's not reasonable to send you back to California. I would argue that with the time difference and distance, it makes it perfectly difficult to even Skype with your kids and wife, let alone visit them (or for them to visit you, especially if they are in school). But for #2, I think it means you would have had to apply WHILE you were in Sweden. That's something a lawyer could help you answer; but if it is the case, would you be willing to scrap your current application and re-apply in Sweden, especially if it meant an even longer wait time and having to live with only a coordination number / meet maintenance requirements?

Then for the second set of requirements, I think it's clear you would not be rejected because of #1, nor would you be rejected for #2 (because for f*ck's sake, they CAN'T return a decision in a reasonable period of time ), but the question is #3: how do you prove harm is being done to your children by your absence, given that they live with their mother who is able to provide for them? I think the obvious answer is "They need their dad", but I have no idea how MV judges this type of thing.

With that in mind, build up your case and then do as Ava suggested and talk to a lawyer!

[wombatsauce]

I linked this up to the group already, but this is what MV has to say about it:Jacob: in your case, I think we can all agree you meet #1 of the first set of requirements. For ... (show full quote)

I linked this up to the group already, but this is what MV has to say about it:


Jacob: in your case, I think we can all agree you meet #1 of the first set of requirements. For #3, the question would be if it's not reasonable to send you back to California. I would argue that with the time difference and distance, it makes it perfectly difficult to even Skype with your kids and wife, let alone visit them (or for them to visit you, especially if they are in school). But for #2, I think it means you would have had to apply WHILE you were in Sweden. That's something a lawyer could help you answer; but if it is the case, would you be willing to scrap your current application and re-apply in Sweden, especially if it meant an even longer wait time and having to live with only a coordination number / meet maintenance requirements?

Then for the second set of requirements, I think it's clear you would not be rejected because of #1, nor would you be rejected for #2 (because for f*ck's sake, they CAN'T return a decision in a reasonable period of time ), but the question is #3: how do you prove harm is being done to your children by your absence, given that they live with their mother who is able to provide for them? I think the obvious answer is "They need their dad", but I have no idea how MV judges this type of thing.

With that in mind, build up your case and then do as Ava suggested and talk to a lawyer! ... (hide full quote)

Yes I remember this from before, and I agree with your assessment. I have no idea how to find an immigration lawyer in Sweden. I will ask my wife for help with that and see what she can find. I have not been able to find out too much info from here, beyond what we already know. I have brought this up with her at least five times now, and the conversation has not gone beyond "hmm yeah I'm not sure about that..." I guess if she seemed like she were also interested in finding out about it, we may have something to work with.

There are too many unknowns for me right now. Such as, if I were to cancel the current application, then move over there and apply from there, would I basically start the clock again and be subject to the same 14ish month wait time starting again? Is it a shorter time? That would not be really better or worse, just a different flavor of bad, except that I could potentially be with my family. The downside is that I could have been here working, maybe earning money where that would not be an option over there. I guess it's just too confusing for me right now, not sure.

So, you have a valid point about the application. Granted I am only 3ish months into the wait time, but that's not nothing and while I feel like I am in "limbo" here, being there but not being able to work or have any benefits of a resident, well that would be weird. I also do not know how that comes into play with the 90 day time I would be allowed to be there without a visa. Maybe the fact that I would have an application in play would negate the time limit of the... Oh no I've gone cross-eyed again.

[Alysious]

(Have they started Nov 2014 application processing)the_dome how does one even find out such a thing? Mine obviously isn't as I only applied this year. But how do people know when their application has started being processed? I'm feeling more resigned to not getting to living in Sweden at all, it just doesn't feel like it's going to work out for me and my family - but I'll wait and see what happens.

[Alysious]

wombatsauce, I'm totally with you on all that. I'm waiting until next year to make any decisions about Lawyers etc. As my husbands job won't be confirmed until then. I'm very scared of doing the wrong thing and going to Sweden and applying as the kids parent while in the country. I guess I can argue that we were going about things the right way but the children weren't coping without me so I had to come visit and then I couldn't leave them again.
Starting to feel like a Lawyer is a good plan. I figure I'll give it 6-8 months. If nothing happens, I'll Lawyer up. Like a lot of people, we didn't factor in the crazy new waiting periods. I'm hoping that the Priority request will be re-instated, but that's not looking likely.
P.s Thank you everyone for the advise.

[mjennin2]

(Have they started Nov 2014 application processing)the_dome how does one even find out such a thing? Mine obviously isn't as I only applied this year. But how do people kn ... (show full quote)

(Have they started Nov 2014 application processing)the_dome how does one even find out such a thing? Mine obviously isn't as I only applied this year. But how do people know when their application has started being processed? I'm feeling more resigned to not getting to living in Sweden at all, it just doesn't feel like it's going to work out for me and my family - but I'll wait and see what happens. ... (hide full quote)

Aly - it is both easy and impossible to know if your case is being processed the second you submit your application, it enters a queue and is "being processed". The first thing you wait for is for an admin to pick up your file, confirm it is complete, and issue you an interview invitation. With a couple exceptions, that seems to be occurring around the 9th or 10th month after submitting an application (but hopefully those times will decrease soon; not sure why it's taking so long, as they used to be issued at around 4-6 months; maybe they're just focusing their man power on closing out open cases right now).

Anyway, after your interview, you trudge back along in the queue and wait for your decision. The decisions currently are occurring within about 13-15 months - again, with a few exceptions.

So, right now, the decisions we are seeing come through are mostly from cases submitted in October 2014 (once again - with some random exceptions). As an example, I have been continually updating and tracking over 100 cases volunteered to me or shared here on TL. You can use that as a sort of microcosm to judge where MV is at. You can find the statistics here.

At the end of the day, its impossible really to know if and when a case officer has picked up your file to render the final decision. You could call and be told you have a case officer and not hear anything for a month, or - the more likely case - be continually told you do not have a case officer and then 3 days later have your decision.

They updated the wait times today and did not increase the time range (hallelujah!!) so just keep eyeballing the cases in that link to get a more scientific feel for what MV is averaging. Again - it is a generalization, but it's a diverse sample size and should offer some ideas on where we all are in the queue.

[Alysious]

Aly - it is both easy and impossible to know if your case is being processed the second you submit your application, it enters a queue and is "being processed". Th ... (show full quote)

Aly - it is both easy and impossible to know if your case is being processed the second you submit your application, it enters a queue and is "being processed". The first thing you wait for is for an admin to pick up your file, confirm it is complete, and issue you an interview invitation. With a couple exceptions, that seems to be occurring around the 9th or 10th month after submitting an application (but hopefully those times will decrease soon; not sure why it's taking so long, as they used to be issued at around 4-6 months; maybe they're just focusing their man power on closing out open cases right now).

Anyway, after your interview, you trudge back along in the queue and wait for your decision. The decisions currently are occurring within about 13-15 months - again, with a few exceptions. ... (hide full quote)

Hang on is that 13-15 months from the beginning of your application, or after your interview? Because if it is after waiting 10 months for an interview then that would be 25 months - 2yrs!???? tell me that's not right.

[mjennin2]

Hang on is that 13-15 months from the beginning of your application, or after your interview? Because if it is after waiting 10 months for an interview then that would be 25 m ... (show full quote)

Hang on is that 13-15 months from the beginning of your application, or after your interview? Because if it is after waiting 10 months for an interview then that would be 25 months - 2yrs!???? tell me that's not right. ... (hide full quote)

Oh no, it's 13-15 months after the original application submission! Sorry for almost giving you a heart attack

[mishutkas]

Just called MV. I applied Jan 2015, and after 11 months there is noone who even looked at my case (no officer assigned).

They said they are somewhere in Nov 2014 applications now, but they were on October applications in July. So not that fast

Surely, nothing clear, apart from wait. Said perhaps in next Jan/Feb someone might look at my application and then another waiting time to see if papers are in tact

[Alysious]

Just called MV. I applied Jan 2015, and after 11 months there is noone who even looked at my case (no officer assigned).

WOW - thanks mishutkas, so 12 months before they even look at your papers - good to know no one is likely to see anything of mine until Novemeber 2016! Hopefully once they look at it the decision will only be a few months later. Good luck.

[mjennin2]

Just called MV. I applied Jan 2015, and after 11 months there is noone who even looked at my case (no officer assigned).They said they are somewhere in Nov 2014 applications n ... (show full quote)

Just called MV. I applied Jan 2015, and after 11 months there is noone who even looked at my case (no officer assigned).

They said they are somewhere in Nov 2014 applications now, but they were on October applications in July. So not that fast

Surely, nothing clear, apart from wait. Said perhaps in next Jan/Feb someone might look at my application and then another waiting time to see if papers are in tact ... (hide full quote)

Keep your chin up, Friend There are several of us here who applied in January 2015. We've consistently been told by MV for the past couple months (and as recently as last weekend) to expect to wait 16 months total. However, the stats still indicate 13-15 months is holding steady. I feel like by March of next year, we could hope to see a decision Stay positive! We're almost there! <3

[Cooneybren]

Everyone,


I've posted here regarding my status once before, but now I just wanted to give you all an update to my situation. Today I got confirmation from migrationsverket that I will receive my permanent residency permit. (I'm friggin' happy as hell.)

I applied on October 25th 2014, to move to my Swedish wife in Stockholm. Had an interview at the consulate here in New York April 15th 2014 and have been waiting patiently ever since. So just over 13 months total, not bad considering the current circumstances.

Also I'd like to mention that this summer I was in Sweden for 6 weeks during which time meant that my case would be on "hold" - not sure if in the end that had any impact on the processing time.

I hope some of you still on this crazy ride may find this information helpful and that you all get to experience the same level of elation that I'm currently experiencing, real soon.

[Bellav]

Oh my! More great news!! Congrats Cooneybren! wooohooo!! Thank you for sharing! I wish you both a very happy future together in Sweden ^^