.Access Denied.

Devastation. That is the world that comes to mind.

This past Monday, Michael and I received a letter from the Swedish Migration Board denying my residence permit to Sweden. Their decision was based on the fact that Michael left Sweden in 1990, at the age of 6, and our plans of moving back this “summer,” was not immediate enough.

However, we are allowed to appeal.

In 3 weeks time, we must draft and send a hand written letter challenging their decision. So far, this is my letter:

Embassy of Sweden,

Based on your decision to deny my application case number, your reason of your decision states the following:

“You stated that you got to know Michail in 2008. You were on vacation in Mykonos and Michail worked there. You have since then seen each other regularly. Your intentions are to move to Sweden sometime in late summer or late fall of 2011.

The extract from the Swedish population records, turned in with your application, shows that Michail emigrated April 2, 1990.

The Migration Board does not consider your intended move date as being in the near future. The Board can therefore not grant you residency pursuant to the Aliens Act Ch. 5, sec 3, para. 1.

Your application has therefore been denied.”

The motive behind Michail and I deciding to submit a date of summer/fall, is because on the Embassy of Sweden website, under “Residence based on personal connection,” the information states the application process is an estimated time of 6-8 months. In our defense of the application denial, our move time to Sweden of summer/fall, was based on the 6-8 month information given. It was to our understanding that we could not plan to move until after the decision from the Migration Board had been made. Originally, Michail and I planned to move to Sweden May of 2011, but we pushed our move date to the latest we could possible based on the 6-8 estimated processing time for the visa.

However, our plans to move to Sweden have always been immediately, we just assumed immediately had to be after we received our co-habitation visa.

Knowing this information, our appeal concludes that we plan to move immediately to Sweden May of 2011.

This is obviously a rough draft, but you can see the obvious reason why we are upset at their decision. It is so heartbreaking because I cannot continue my lifestyle in Greece forever, and moving back and forth is getting very expensive and I seriously just want a place and life to call my own. I want to be successful and for others to view me that way. My success cannot be found in America, because Michael cannot follow, and it won’t be in Greece since no one takes attractive women seriously in business. So our only option was Sweden. If we must, we will re-apply next winter and Michael will have to move to Sweden to set things up.