American family moved to Sweden for work, but things aren’t going well 4 years later

I’ve never had a problem with commitment.

I got married at 18 and our relationship is still going strong 23 years later. Ten years ago, I started my own business and have never regretted my choice.

When something feels right, I don’t waste time keeping my options open. So when my husband, Jarrod, got a job in video game development in Sweden in 2022, we committed.

We bought a house, enrolled our son in school, registered my business and started learning the language. We made friends, shopped locally and got a Swedish driving license.

Unfortunately, all of this doesn’t matter much when your visa is tied to an employer.

At first, moving to Sweden seemed like a smart plan – and we adapted well

To be clear, uprooting our lives to live in another country was not a willy-nilly decision.

Before accepting the job and the move, we visited Skövde in person and met several founding members of Jarrod’s future studio. It seemed as well-run and stable as any game studio, and Jarrod was excited to step into the role of art director.

Additionally, there were several other video game studios in town. Video games can be a volatile business, meaning there could be other job opportunities locally if things go wrong.

We also checked schools and the housing market. We ended up buying a great house on Billingen Mountain.

It’s large enough to accommodate two home offices, a game room, and a guest bedroom for our American family and friends, but with a small yard, so maintenance isn’t overwhelming.

The yard even has an apple tree with a swing that’s the perfect size for our son, and he stops to play on it every day when he gets home from school.

Although we missed our friends and family in the United States, we spent the next few years settling into a beautiful life in Sweden.

We continued to practice the language and build community – and became very accustomed to affordable childcare and accessible health care.

We have also adapted to the seasons and local particularities. I created a sunset coffee routine to survive the winter when the sun sets shortly after 3 p.m. And I bought blackout curtains for when the sun sets after 10 p.m. in the summer.

Sweden has truly become our home; a place we could imagine living in long term.

My husband’s job loss reminded us that the life we ​​had here was built on shaky ground.

A few years later, when Jarrod’s studio closed without warning, we were reminded that our lives here depended on this work.

As Americans here on a work visa, even owning a home does not give us the right to stay in Sweden. And with his special permit, Jarrod had three months to find a comparable position or leave the country.

Unfortunately, the economy has changed since we created our contingency plan. A large percentage of local game studios had closed their doors, and none of the remaining studios had art director positions available.

So Jarrod’s job search extended to surrounding cities, such as Gothenburg and Stockholm.

Unfortunately, finding another position in an already struggling industry proved more difficult than expected. Additionally, hiring a non-citizen seems like a big ask due to the bureaucracy and costs that can come with it.

Fortunately, my business makes enough to cover our expenses. So, before Jarrod’s job search even began, I contacted the Swedish Migration Agency office to let them know that we are self-sufficient.

During this time, Jarrod began working with several former colleagues to launch a new game studio, creating their own employment opportunities in an industry where jobs were disappearing.

However, until the studio can pay him a salary, this work is not considered employment for immigration purposes. Ultimately, the agency asked us to leave and we formally appealed this decision.

I began to wonder if it was naive of me to think that we could build a life in Sweden – maybe even qualify for it.

We came here legally, paid taxes, learned the language and bought property. It was frustrating to feel like all the ways we had integrated into the country over the past few years didn’t seem to matter.

We fight to stay, but we prepare to leave

For now, I continue to run my business in Sweden; my husband is trying to build his own; and we are working through the appeal process with the help of our local attorney to see if we can stay here.

Every time I check my mail, I hold my breath. Best case scenario: I am informed that our visa has been renewed for two more years. Worst case scenario: I find a refusal notice and a legal demand that we leave by a certain date. Most likely scenario: our Telia phone bill.

Still, I don’t think the lesson is to live with reservations in the future. Committing less wouldn’t have made the last four years any better.

I don’t know if we can stay in this country, but I know that when our son comes home from school tomorrow, he will stop and swing under our apple tree.

And even though our stay here turns out to be temporary, buying a house and assimilating to life in Sweden has been an unforgettable adventure for all of us.