Sweden is really starting to piss me off
Aug. 19th, 2009 12:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mutedtempestSo, after being told for months now that my student loans will be accepted as proof of funding for residence, I was again denied a residence permit because I had "not proven adequate support funds." This happened about the end of July. I immediately emailed the man in charge of US loans at Lund, and he assured me yet again that they are, in fact, accepted and that the migration board must have made a mistake. He said he would have someone from the school contact them.
I lodged another appeal based on this, since I felt it made no sense that he was saying it over and over and I was still being denied. Haven't heard back from the Court yet, but I did get an email from the person he put on the case:
Okay, so, let me see if I got this right. Despite offering US student loans, which the school insists are accepted for a residence permit, they did not in fact know that they are NOT accepted. This is more than a little strange. Foreign schools have to go through a long verification process to be able to offer American student aid, and I see absolutely no point in their doing so if the students cannot use them to move to Sweden and study. In my experience, if someone has $20,500 of their own money in a bank account, they generally refrain from taking that amount out in loans in the first place. So why the hell would universities in Sweden offer these loans when they do absolutely no good whatsoever?
Sigh. I guess I'm just disappointed that i cannot seem to get a straight answer from anyone as to why this policy is in place or what other Anerican students approved for the loans do when their residence permits are denied. Again, it makes no sense at all to offer the loans if the student cannot use them as proof of support. If they have money they'll use that, not take out loans!
I did appeal to the highest court in Sweden, so hopefully after looking at all the information they'll realize what a dick policy this is. If it's even the policy. I can't imagine that no American students have been admitted on them since, again, if they do no good the school offering them is pointless for everyone involved.
I'm really trying not to get my hopes up here. I fully expect them to deny my appeal again, and right now I'm so frustrated and pissed off about it that I don't even really care. I still want to study in Sweden, and will take the courses I was admitted to for this academic year but after that I want nothing more to do with Lund. From the email I received above it appears that they have been misleading me on this matter for months now. Had the man I first contacted simply told me that US student loans are not accepted, I would have come up with another plan. However, he told me repeatedly that there was nothing to worry about and that the Migration Board does indeed accept them, so I took him at his word. Other people from the school told me the same. Classes are beginning in two weeks, though, and there just isn't time for try to get into Sweden for it. I'll just study online and go for the 3 months I'm allowed, then file an extension of stay. All told I see no reason that i won't be in Sweden for 6 months once my passport is returned.
I plan to go back next year on a study permit, this time with my own money, so to speak. I'm currently in the process of applying for a Fulbright scholarship, which will cover a year. I will also be receiving another loan check this coming January, and if I don't blow through the $10,100 already coming my way i should be able to save the great majority of January check. That is enough for me to get at least a one year master's degree plus residence permit, and if I get my scholarship I can go for 2. I might even be able to save up enough from working that I can go for two without the scholarship, but all that remains to be seen. I can go for a year and right now that's fine with me. After that I can apply for a PhD.
In December, I'm going to apply for a master's program in Security at the Luleå University of Technology as well as a program or two at Stockholm. I have no idea which I'll be able to get into, but I'm sure I'll have at least one offer. I hope. Anyway, for right now it's simply a matter of saving up as much as I can so I can actually be accepted for a residence permit next year.
I lodged another appeal based on this, since I felt it made no sense that he was saying it over and over and I was still being denied. Haven't heard back from the Court yet, but I did get an email from the person he put on the case:
Dear Heather,
I did get a message from my contact at the Migration office, that he has looked at the website of the Stafford Loans and he feels that Sweden should be able to grant a residence permit based on these federal loans. However that will be in the future since they need to make a formal decision on it and use that as instruction for future reference. So it is not something that will influence your application process. He says that they only thing you can do is to appeal to the highest court. However, that will take some time and it will certainly delay your studies. I’m sorry but there is not much else I can do at this point. If you want to appeal anyway I definitely think that you should go ahead and do it.
Kind regards,
Asa Grunning
Programme Coordinator
Okay, so, let me see if I got this right. Despite offering US student loans, which the school insists are accepted for a residence permit, they did not in fact know that they are NOT accepted. This is more than a little strange. Foreign schools have to go through a long verification process to be able to offer American student aid, and I see absolutely no point in their doing so if the students cannot use them to move to Sweden and study. In my experience, if someone has $20,500 of their own money in a bank account, they generally refrain from taking that amount out in loans in the first place. So why the hell would universities in Sweden offer these loans when they do absolutely no good whatsoever?
Sigh. I guess I'm just disappointed that i cannot seem to get a straight answer from anyone as to why this policy is in place or what other Anerican students approved for the loans do when their residence permits are denied. Again, it makes no sense at all to offer the loans if the student cannot use them as proof of support. If they have money they'll use that, not take out loans!
I did appeal to the highest court in Sweden, so hopefully after looking at all the information they'll realize what a dick policy this is. If it's even the policy. I can't imagine that no American students have been admitted on them since, again, if they do no good the school offering them is pointless for everyone involved.
I'm really trying not to get my hopes up here. I fully expect them to deny my appeal again, and right now I'm so frustrated and pissed off about it that I don't even really care. I still want to study in Sweden, and will take the courses I was admitted to for this academic year but after that I want nothing more to do with Lund. From the email I received above it appears that they have been misleading me on this matter for months now. Had the man I first contacted simply told me that US student loans are not accepted, I would have come up with another plan. However, he told me repeatedly that there was nothing to worry about and that the Migration Board does indeed accept them, so I took him at his word. Other people from the school told me the same. Classes are beginning in two weeks, though, and there just isn't time for try to get into Sweden for it. I'll just study online and go for the 3 months I'm allowed, then file an extension of stay. All told I see no reason that i won't be in Sweden for 6 months once my passport is returned.
I plan to go back next year on a study permit, this time with my own money, so to speak. I'm currently in the process of applying for a Fulbright scholarship, which will cover a year. I will also be receiving another loan check this coming January, and if I don't blow through the $10,100 already coming my way i should be able to save the great majority of January check. That is enough for me to get at least a one year master's degree plus residence permit, and if I get my scholarship I can go for 2. I might even be able to save up enough from working that I can go for two without the scholarship, but all that remains to be seen. I can go for a year and right now that's fine with me. After that I can apply for a PhD.
In December, I'm going to apply for a master's program in Security at the Luleå University of Technology as well as a program or two at Stockholm. I have no idea which I'll be able to get into, but I'm sure I'll have at least one offer. I hope. Anyway, for right now it's simply a matter of saving up as much as I can so I can actually be accepted for a residence permit next year.
