How easy is it for an American to move to Sweden or Germany?
I currently live in California, and spend much time in SF. I’m thinking about moving to either Sweden or Germany after college, but I don’t know anything about either.
I’d live near a big city (stockholm, or Berlin seem like obvious choices) most likely, since I’d miss SF too much otherwise.
So what would the transition be like? How hard is it to find jobs, get a work permit. and of course:
How easy is it to get citizenship???? What do I need to know? For either or both countries.
Also, how expensive is it to live in each? And what’s the currency exchange rate for the US dollar to the Euro and the Krona?
Thanks!
As has been said, you can’t just pick up your bags and move here – you need a residency permit. Apart from getting together with an EU citizen the only way is to get a work permit. This is exceptionally difficult since a potential employer has to prove no one else in the EU can do your job (aka, you’re the last resort).
Neither Sweden nor Germany allow citizenship through ancestry
The easiest way to get to Sweden and Germany is to work in a company that has departments in either country and to later ask for a transfer…
Citizenship in Sweden takes 5 years of residency. It takes 8 years of residency in Germany (plus a language test). Also important to note is that Germany does not allow dual citizenship (aka, you’d have to give up your American citizenship if you wanted to become a German citizen).
Check currency exchange rate here:
xe.com
Sweden is generally more expensive than Germany.
