(edit title) Changing a Working Holiday Visa to a Sambo Visa? Is it possible? Options

[brownkitten]

Hello all,

I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience with this.

My story is that I'm Canadian, I moved here to be with my Swedish sambo (who I live with) in January on a Working Holiday Visa, which expires next January. I'm currently not working full time but have a had freelance contracts since I've been here (if that makes any difference?)

With the Working Holiday Visa you only get a coordination number, not a person number, which I did not look into before applying.

So I know I can apply for a Sambo visa when my w/h visa expires, but the thing is, I want that sweet sweet person number now. Is it possible to 'switch' visas now, 4 months into it? Without going back to Canada?

If anyone has any experience in this, that would be great!!

Thanks!

[Leonie]

Yes It is possbale, but the person I know doing it has a letter from her embassy saying that it is ok that she applys for sambo when she is in Sweden.

[brownkitten]

Ahh ok, is she under any sort of special circumstances to get that letter? Or did she just ask her Embassy about it?

[brownkitten]

Has anyone else had experience with this? Where should I go to apply, since the online form says I can't be in Sweden?

[Kibiri]

^ Nearest Migrationsverket office.
Don't fill online form. There is a pdf form, use that one.

[visor45]

Hi Brownkitten,

Did you end up going to the Migrationsverket office? I'm heading over from Australia in July on a working holiday visa to live with my gf and have a feeling that I'll eventually be in the same position as you.

Cheers

[brownkitten]

Not yet, my embassy told me to wait until I've been here for 6 months, then I can apply for a 'status change'.

Also have you already applied for a working holiday visa? If you can apply for a sambo visa instead. The co-ordination number you get with a WH visa is completely useless, and they won't even give you one until you find work.

Trust me, this visa is not worth the effort.

[visor45]

Yeah I've already applied for the working holiday visa, was planning on using that to live in Sweden for a while and increase our chances of me getting a sambo visa. Was the "status change" application the soonest option there is?

[brownkitten]

Yah that's what I was told by my embassy. I haven't bothered to go to the migration board yet, since I don't hate myself enough to make more trips there than needed.

But that was my logic too, live here first and then have a bit more of an established relationship to apply for sambo. But I don't think it's too hard to qualify for a sambo visa. I really think you should do that instead.

Just to illustrate, here's a small list of things you can't do with a coordination number:

Get a phone
Get a bank account
rent an apartment
go to SFI
get health care
join a gym
pay for things (bills, etc) online.

These are just things I ran into. Some of these things I knew before I came, but some caught me by surprise!

So basically you *can* work, it's just tough to get paid without a bank account.

This visa has also made me very dependant on my sambo, which isn't ideal either. So don't do it! Unless you just met your gf a month ago, online, then you probably can qualify for a sambo visa. Save yourself the ordeal, the processing fees and time.

[Leonie]

Hej, Sorry no, she just went and asked about sambo and they said she would not have enought time left before she went to apply and they gave her a letter saying she could apply in Sweden.

agree working holiday visa is not work the trouble but if you dont have a place to live then I guess you may get refused.

[visor45]

Hey guys thanks for the info,Brownkitten were you able to open a joint bank account with your partner? I knew about some of those, it seems a bit extreme that we cant join a gym though.

I think I'll end up sticking with the working holiday visa and apply to change it to a Sambo visa whilst I'm over there. I'm afraid if I apply for Sambo (Which my gf and I would qualify for) now I'll lose my other visa (which is still being processed) and our plans will be disrupted.

On another note how did you go the last month with finding work? Any luck?

[brownkitten]

Best of luck to you!

I could not open a joint bank account, my salary gets put into my bf's account. It was really the only solution. If you're moving to stockholm, SEB bank at Ostermalm will give you a bank account with a passport and 6 month work contract. But since I'm freelancing I didn't qualify.

It took me about 3 months to find work, but then again, it's freelance, nothing permanent yet. But I could not get my coordination number until I had a work contract. I guess not all tax offices do it that way, but the one I went to did.

It's true what they say, it's quite tricky to find work. I would start learning Swedish! But I guess it depends what you are looking for. The summer might be tough to look for work since many places are closed for holidays.

Best of luck though!