I am considering leaving the United States for good im 22 years old young enough too take a risk. I know someone in sweden whom i would most likely live with untill i manage to get on my feet. I am very curious if anyone is familiar with the difficulty and costs of moving an becoming a citizen of sweden and local countries to sweden. I want a fresh start, see new cultures, learn more about the world. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.
2007-02-23 16:57:30 · 5 answers · asked by Bnich 1 in Travel ➔ Europe (Continental) ➔ Other - Europe
That sounds very non-commital relationship-wise. You should not have any problems relocating to Sweden if you intend to marry a Swedish national. It is one of the most expensive counries in the world. Wages are high but so are taxes and everything else (food, etc). And they have a very long winter and cool summers...
2007-02-24 07:30:45 · answer #1 · answered by lesroys 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Leaving America and moving to Europe is definitely possible, but make sure you don't have a "romantic" point of view in doing it. I speak from personal experience. I've lived in Europe for 8 years now. Some of it has been great, some of it has been really hard.
Sweden is very expensive. Consider things like, do you speak Swedish? Sure, a lot of people speak English there, but to get a good job, you will probably have to speak Swedish as well as English.
Changing citizenship is a BIG deal. I would caution you in that. America certainly has it's problems and issues, but Sweden does too, and there's all kinds of things that are unsettled being in the EU... many things are changing and who knows the laws that could be enacted.
My suggestion to you would be to try it. Go to Sweden for a number of months. Check out the job market. Could you make a go of it? Consider becoming a permanent resident of Sweden instead of a Citizen (which is basically like having a Green Card in America)... but even that, in many EU countries, takes 5 years to get. Explore your options and take some risks but don't be foolish, either.
Good luck! Sweden is, after all, beautiful!
2007-02-23 19:03:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think that you should have reasons why you want to leave the U.S. for good. you make it sound bad. i want to leave to europe as well but for a job. this person that you know in sweden...have you known them for a long time? some things may not be easy to do when you are planning to live in europe. its expensive, and i believe that what you want to do is ok, because you are an adult. i hope that you would think about this for awhile, and when you think that you are ready and able to pull through then thats when i'd take action. for the time being, research the cost of living in europe, and have you any specialties/talents?? that can help you earn a fresh living in sweden where you dont have to worry if it will be difficult or not living there. i hope that all goes well, and hopefully you will make the right decision. Good Luck!!!
2007-02-23 17:30:13 · answer #3 · answered by sunshine 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've lived in a number of countries, including Sweden, and must admit to finding it one of the more difficult places to genuinely enjoy - which was sad for me, as it's a beautiful country (Stockholm is possibly the most wonderful city to look at in the world) and my girlfriend was living there at the time. It can be a really fun place, particularly in Summer as Winter's quite grim, but I found most Swedes to be a quite uptight - but with a misleading veneer of trying to be relaxed about life.
Stockholm is wonderful, and the South (Skane - Helsingborg to Malmo) is good because it's young and close to Copenhagen across the water where the Danes tend to be a little more relaxed and jovial about life.
Sweden is quite an expensive place to live, with high taxes and social costs, so you'd need to be able to get work - check with your friend in Sweden if there's any way of finding some paying jobs. As a non-EU passport holder you'll need to be sponsored if you want to work legally, although there may be ways around that if you decide to go there to study on a student visa.
For Swedish citizenship, I understand it can be quite difficult as most EU countries have tried to clamp down on non-Europeans obtaining citizenship - but that's not to say it's impossible! Check with the Swedish embassy for that kind of information, as well as a student visa, and also be aware how citizenship might affect your current citizenship - as some countries don't permit you to hold a second citizenship (i.e.: you might have to renounce your US citizenship, which is tough to re-obtain).
In terms of cost of moving, it doesn't have to cost you much at all to get there, as most airlines fly there and SAS (The pan-Scandinavian airline) is one of the world's best. If your friend lives in the very South of Sweden, you should consider flying into Copenhagen in Denmark.
I'm not trying to put a dampener on everything with the above, but make sure you go there with your eyes wide open about the potential pitfalls - and then enjoy it as much as you can, as exploring the world is a fabulous thing!
One more thought, if you can afford to be a little loose, a trip to Sweden as an advance recce might make sense before you commit completely - and build in a small side trip or two to other countries nearby to get a feel for costs and so on. There are cheap rail tickets and youth hostels you can stay in to save money doing this. Good luck.
2007-02-23 18:58:57 · answer #4 · answered by ClaudeS 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
to allow you to comprehend the reality sure. and that i have come close many circumstances over the finest year. i became on for all time. yet now i'm no longer on more suitable than 1 / 4 of the time i take advantage of to be. And it really is not any longer that i don't like it, it really is in simple terms no longer an similar for me, with maximum of my contacts lengthy gone now it really is not any longer an similar. i locate lots of the thrilling and video games are lengthy gone. and that is what I omit. it really is not any longer an similar for me. yet I nevertheless pick to respond to questions. yet they're few and far in between now. So like each thing in life, issues substitute, because it does the following. So ought to I be lengthy gone in a jiffy a lengthy with you, the transformations are better now than they were 7 months in the past i am going to. take care dave
2016-12-04 21:13:14 · answer #5 · answered by picart 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋