(edit title) Does my Husband Need a Visa Advice Needed Options

[kamwendo]

Hi my name Is Christine,

I am a UK citizen, I was born in England. I am married to a Malawian (African country), he is living over in Malawi at the moment and doesnt have a uk visa. In October/November this year I am going over to Malawi and then we are both traveling together to sweden. I have been advised i dont need to get a visa for my husband as he would be classified as an eu citizen as he would be travelling with me. I know I need to take some documents such as marriage certificate and passports with us.

I have friends in Stockholm who have said we can live with them until we get a place and I have a job in the UK that I can travel back to during the week, until I find a job in Sweden.

I just wanted to make sure this information is correct, as I dont want to turn up there and not be allowed to go through with my husband.

Any advice would be great

[Migga]

So is your husband a citizen in Malawia or? Normaly people from Malawia would need a visa. Why are you going to Sweden? Is it as tourists? Visiting friends? Business? Or is it to settle down?

Why Sweden? Both you and your husband come from different countries and you decide to go to a third country, foreign to you? What are your ties to Sweden? Your friends? Are they Swedes? How about work? Are you going to work in England during the week and live in Sweden during the weekend? What about your husband? Are you both getting a job in Sweden? What are you and your husbands qualifications?

You could always go to the embassy in England and ask; http://www.swedenabroad.com/en-GB/Embassie...sy--Consulates/

[rtharper]

Hi my name Is Christine,I am a UK citizen, I was born in England. I am married to a Malawian (African country), he is living over in Malawi at the moment and doesnt have a uk ... (show full quote)

Hi my name Is Christine,

I am a UK citizen, I was born in England. I am married to a Malawian (African country), he is living over in Malawi at the moment and doesnt have a uk visa. In October/November this year I am going over to Malawi and then we are both traveling together to sweden. I have been advised i dont need to get a visa for my husband as he would be classified as an eu citizen as he would be travelling with me. I know I need to take some documents such as marriage certificate and passports with us. ... (hide full quote)

I do not believe that is correct. If you are moving to Sweden and he intends to live with you, he can get a residence permit to do so, but I believe he has to apply for such a thing before coming. I would contact the Swedish embassy in Malawi.

[Mpf]

I have been advised i dont need to get a visa for my husband as he would be classified as an eu citizen as he would be travelling with me.

This doesn't make sense to me. How can you be "classified" as an EU citizen? Surely you can only become a citizen if you apply for citizenship and you can only be an EU citizen if you are a citizen of a country in the EU.

My gut feeling is that he could travel with a visa (the choice of visa would depend on your reasons for travelling), once here you would both need to apply for residency, although you, as a UK citizen would only need to inform the immigration service if your stay is for over 3 months. As you are not a Swedish citizen he would not be able to apply for Swedish, and therefore EU, citizenship until he has completed 5 years as a resident.

Don't forget that you would need to register at immigration to apply for a personal number before going to the tax office to apply for an ID card. Life is very restricted if you don't have a personal number and things are difficult to get (but not impossible), opening bank accounts, mobile phone contracts, car insurance, dentist, doctors etc etc.

Another stipulation is I believe immigration now requires all those who apply for residency have full medical cover not just a EHIC. This is for both of you not just your husband.

Good luck and I recommend that you fully research everything before getting on that plane.

[Yorkshireman]

Your husband needs a valid visa for what You describe:

http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/trave...ly/index_en.htm

Though I must admit, it kind of sounds like He has been refused a visa for the UK?

[kamwendo]

On migrationsverket it states:

If you are a family member to an EU/EEA citizen with right of residence and you are a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA, you also have the right of residence. You are entitled to begin working immediately when you arrive in Sweden. If you would like to stay for longer than three months, you should apply for a residence card.

So I would take it I would have to apply for residency first then bring him over. I would be working in UK during the week and be in Sweden during the weekend until I found a job there. Classified as communting to UK and living in Sweden. As this is regular income I would be able to apply for a residence visa in sweden.

We didnt get a settlement visa in uk for my husband as I was made redundant as we where doing the visa, got to love the economy! We want to move to sweden as we have swedish friends there and we love the country. My best friend said we could stay with him until we have our own place.

I have absolutely no interest in claiming anything from the government over there, so me and my husband dont want to bum off the state as they say here.

[johnjohn]

To claim residency you must reside here which normally means 185 or more days per year ie more than 50 percent of the time. If you claim residency you must pay taxes in Sweden on your UK earnings. Do not worry about claiming social benefits as you will not be eligible for them.

[Migga]

It`s a bad idea to try and settle down in any country without any ties more then a love for the country and a few friends living there. Some people have a hard time settling down even when they have ties like knowledge of the language, family, job and a housing offer. You have none of it and it can become a real headache. To me it sounds as if you tried to live together in the UK, it didn`t work out so now you are trying out Sweden. You are setting yourself up for failure.

With you working out of the country, none of you know the language, no family ties, your husband doesn`t have a job offer and you don`t have your own housing won`t be good when the immigration authority is going through the residence permit process.

I know you aren`t asking for my opinion, I`m just trying to give you some advice on what you may be faced with. Regardelss of your love for Sweden.

[Yorkshireman]

To me it sounds as if you tried to live together in the UK, it didn`t work out so now you are trying out Sweden.

@Migga, the OP says in an earlier post that the Hubby didnt get a permit for the UK as She lost her job when/before(?) making the application.

OP, how many times have You & your husband stayed in Sweden before? Visited? Just wondering where the love of the country comes from. It is one thing to visit for a short time, and much much more actually living here!

[Puffin]

I think that your situation is complicated as you do not live together in the UK and he doesn't have a UK residence permit - usually it is a requirement of an EU family ties permit that you have lived at the same address in the EU prior to moving to Sweden

I think that you should contact MV - you may need to move first and then apply for a family ties permit

[kamwendo]

We did live together for a year in UK, when he was on a student visa. He had to go back to Malawi so we could apply for settlement one, unfortunately was just before the world ecomony went crazy!

I have started to learn Swedish. My friends from Sweden are also using skype with me so I can pick up some before I get there. I have visited before and loved it. My husband hasn't been to Sweden but he has been to Norway. We both like that area of the world.

I will be more like a lodger when I stay at my friends as I will be paying some money each month. I am only keeping job in UK until I find one in Sweden.

I am going over before my husband comes, I was just going to meet him in malawi and come back with him once I had my residence card. Figured it would be better if I was with him when he goes through the airport.

I am under no pretences I know it will be hard.