This article is for those of you that have found jobs or are seeking employment and wish to know more about how taxation works in Sweden.
Sweden has long been heralded as a country with high income tax. Let's see how it really works. First, there's the "grundavdrag" - the amount you can make that IS NOT taxed. Right now, it's 18,200 SEK per year. If you have one job and then start working another job then any job after your first job will be taxed the "normal" level of about 30%. This 30% includes local, regional and state taxes so the actual amount varies depending on where you are registered.
Around May of the following working year you will receive an income declaration in the mail from Skatteverket. This declaration will list your sources of income, how much tax you paid and how much you owe the government or how much you overpaid. Most of the time, you will have overpaid and should receive some of your income tax back in the months that follow. If you give them your bank account information then they will transfer the money and this is faster than if you receive a special card that you have to take to a bank to get your money. You have to confirm the declaration by either visiting Skatteverket, through SMS, through the internet or through the post. If you see any errors then you must notify Skatteverket by mail.
There are higher levels of taxation than 30% but these only kick in once you start earning a LOT of money. The first raise comes at over 350,000SEK per year and those earning over 530,000SEK per year also have to pay a higher percentage of income tax.
tisdag 12 oktober 2010
söndag 10 oktober 2010
So You Want to Stay in Sweden
Are you from outside the EU and thinking about (permanently) extending your stay in Sweden? It's more complicated than it seems. Here's what you'll need if you want to stay in Sweden by changing your study permit to a family ties permit...
-a valid residence permit
-a transcript of your university studies showing you completed at least 30 university points (one semester)
-a live-in partner relationship or marriage
You have to be able to show that you live with your partner by registering at the same address at skatteverket.se (go visit their office if you have any questions about address registration).
You can't go about changing your permit willy-nilly. You have to wait until your current permit is about to expire. Do not overstay your visa! You can (and most likely will) be deported if you attempt to apply after it is expired. You need to show that you've actually been studying while in Sweden with a signed transcript. You must have at least 30 completed university points (aka one semester), otherwise they will most likely tell you to go back to your "home" country and apply from there. The process of applying from your "home" country could take many months (not to mention the cost of plane tickets!).
This law (in Swedish) lists which reasons are valid for applying for residence from within Sweden.
First you'll apply at your local Migrationsverket. Here is a Google map of the Migrationsverket office in Malmö as there is no office in Lund where you can file your application.
The queues are probably extraordinary so give yourself at least 3 hours to submit the application. You will also have to pay 500SEK in cash which you won't get returned if you application is not approved. There will be no interview or anything of the sort at this time; you will only be submitting your application and paying the fee.
Bring your application (most likely this one), 500 SEK in cash, your passport, your personbevis (which you can have sent to your address via skatteverket.se) and your partner's personbevis.
You will get a receipt of payment and a letter stating you applied for a new residence permit.
A few weeks later, you will be assigned a caseworker. If you're lucky then you'll quickly get a letter from your caseworker for an appointment with you and your partner and your caseworker's contact information if you cannot make your appointment. The appointment can be anywhere from three weeks after you submitted your application to many months.
In all likelihood your old residence permit will expire but this is OK - as long as you have proof that you submitted a new application then you're legally allowed to stay in Sweden while it is being processed! I was told that it was OK to travel and I even left the EU during this time with no problems but others were told that it would be forbidden to travel without a valid residence permit. You should also be allowed to work during this time but others have been told something else. Ask your caseworker if you need more information.
You will meet your caseworker and you and your partner will be given complementary forms to fill out. Bring your passport, your personbevis and your partner's personbevis and proof of completed studies. The forms will ask about anything from about your background, how you met, your morning routine, who your partner's family members are and how old they are and whether you've met them, what you pay for rent, what color your shower curtain is and your hobbies. The form is at least 10 pages long with these sorts of questions. If you and your partner have matching answers then good, you will in all likelihood be granted a permit. If the answers don't match so well then you may have to do further tests, like a personal interview.
In theory you can get your new residence permit the same day as the appointment with your caseworker. In practice it may take many months.
If you have been living with your partner for less than two years (the most likely), you will be granted a residence permit for one or two years. This will be a TEMPORARY residence permit. After these two years (or, if granted a one year permit, you will have to apply after one year and receive another one year permit in all likelihood) you can apply for a PERMANENT residence permit.
You can LOSE your residence permit if you settle in any other country for any amount of time. Still, you ALWAYS have the right to a residence permit in Sweden as long as you have a relationship with someone there (even if it takes months to process). With a temporary residence permit, you DO NOT have the right to vote and you DO NOT have the right to get CSN (study aide).
As long as your permit is being processed (even if your old permit becomes expired), you are legally allowed to live and work in Sweden. You are in no way an "illegal" alien.
Good luck!!!
Tips:
--Speaking Swedish is always a plus!! You want to show that you're contributing to society here
--Homosexual relationships are of course allowed as a basis for residence permits
--Once assigned a caseworker, she/he can decide how easy or hard to make life for you. Be nice and courteous to them!
--Maybe you don't know what year your partner's brother was born in but study up on those things. You don't want to give them any doubt as to the veracity of your relationship
--You don't need pictures or other "evidence" during the process - that's only in movies
--Get home insurance together! This will save you money and show that you've been living together
--Having both your names on the rental contract is also a plus
For more information visit Migrationsverket.
Relevant laws on residence permits can be found here (in Swedish; no English translation available).
If you are looking to TEMPORARILY extend your stay in Sweden then the easiest course of action is to keep studying! Just be sure to apply for your extension before your current studies permit runs out.
Note: This information is provided by a private person. Smålands Nation does not take any responsibility for the validity of this information. Use common sense and contact the authorities if you have any questions.
-a valid residence permit
-a transcript of your university studies showing you completed at least 30 university points (one semester)
-a live-in partner relationship or marriage
Things to Know Before You Apply
You have to be able to show that you live with your partner by registering at the same address at skatteverket.se (go visit their office if you have any questions about address registration).
You can't go about changing your permit willy-nilly. You have to wait until your current permit is about to expire. Do not overstay your visa! You can (and most likely will) be deported if you attempt to apply after it is expired. You need to show that you've actually been studying while in Sweden with a signed transcript. You must have at least 30 completed university points (aka one semester), otherwise they will most likely tell you to go back to your "home" country and apply from there. The process of applying from your "home" country could take many months (not to mention the cost of plane tickets!).
This law (in Swedish) lists which reasons are valid for applying for residence from within Sweden.
The Application
First you'll apply at your local Migrationsverket. Here is a Google map of the Migrationsverket office in Malmö as there is no office in Lund where you can file your application.
The queues are probably extraordinary so give yourself at least 3 hours to submit the application. You will also have to pay 500SEK in cash which you won't get returned if you application is not approved. There will be no interview or anything of the sort at this time; you will only be submitting your application and paying the fee.
Bring your application (most likely this one), 500 SEK in cash, your passport, your personbevis (which you can have sent to your address via skatteverket.se) and your partner's personbevis.
You will get a receipt of payment and a letter stating you applied for a new residence permit.
A few weeks later, you will be assigned a caseworker. If you're lucky then you'll quickly get a letter from your caseworker for an appointment with you and your partner and your caseworker's contact information if you cannot make your appointment. The appointment can be anywhere from three weeks after you submitted your application to many months.
In all likelihood your old residence permit will expire but this is OK - as long as you have proof that you submitted a new application then you're legally allowed to stay in Sweden while it is being processed! I was told that it was OK to travel and I even left the EU during this time with no problems but others were told that it would be forbidden to travel without a valid residence permit. You should also be allowed to work during this time but others have been told something else. Ask your caseworker if you need more information.
The Appointment
You will meet your caseworker and you and your partner will be given complementary forms to fill out. Bring your passport, your personbevis and your partner's personbevis and proof of completed studies. The forms will ask about anything from about your background, how you met, your morning routine, who your partner's family members are and how old they are and whether you've met them, what you pay for rent, what color your shower curtain is and your hobbies. The form is at least 10 pages long with these sorts of questions. If you and your partner have matching answers then good, you will in all likelihood be granted a permit. If the answers don't match so well then you may have to do further tests, like a personal interview.
The Permit
In theory you can get your new residence permit the same day as the appointment with your caseworker. In practice it may take many months.
If you have been living with your partner for less than two years (the most likely), you will be granted a residence permit for one or two years. This will be a TEMPORARY residence permit. After these two years (or, if granted a one year permit, you will have to apply after one year and receive another one year permit in all likelihood) you can apply for a PERMANENT residence permit.
You can LOSE your residence permit if you settle in any other country for any amount of time. Still, you ALWAYS have the right to a residence permit in Sweden as long as you have a relationship with someone there (even if it takes months to process). With a temporary residence permit, you DO NOT have the right to vote and you DO NOT have the right to get CSN (study aide).
As long as your permit is being processed (even if your old permit becomes expired), you are legally allowed to live and work in Sweden. You are in no way an "illegal" alien.
Good luck!!!
Tips:
--Speaking Swedish is always a plus!! You want to show that you're contributing to society here
--Homosexual relationships are of course allowed as a basis for residence permits
--Once assigned a caseworker, she/he can decide how easy or hard to make life for you. Be nice and courteous to them!
--Maybe you don't know what year your partner's brother was born in but study up on those things. You don't want to give them any doubt as to the veracity of your relationship
--You don't need pictures or other "evidence" during the process - that's only in movies
--Get home insurance together! This will save you money and show that you've been living together
--Having both your names on the rental contract is also a plus
For more information visit Migrationsverket.
Relevant laws on residence permits can be found here (in Swedish; no English translation available).
If you are looking to TEMPORARILY extend your stay in Sweden then the easiest course of action is to keep studying! Just be sure to apply for your extension before your current studies permit runs out.
Note: This information is provided by a private person. Smålands Nation does not take any responsibility for the validity of this information. Use common sense and contact the authorities if you have any questions.
söndag 3 oktober 2010
Apply for Scholarships at Lund University
Note: The application period for most scholarships has been extended until October 21st. After October 21st, the application period will close. The application period for spring semester will open sometime next year.
Now is the time to apply for scholarships! According to a recent Lundagård article, there's lots of money available. Here is the link which gives you access to the scholarship portal. First you have to create an account and then you'll be able to access the application form. Be sure to read the instructions very carefully. Many scholarships require a paper application which can be sent by regular mail.
Unfortunately many scholarships favor those who are relatives of the donor or grew up in a certain part of Sweden. Despite this we wish you the best of luck!
Now is the time to apply for scholarships! According to a recent Lundagård article, there's lots of money available. Here is the link which gives you access to the scholarship portal. First you have to create an account and then you'll be able to access the application form. Be sure to read the instructions very carefully. Many scholarships require a paper application which can be sent by regular mail.
Unfortunately many scholarships favor those who are relatives of the donor or grew up in a certain part of Sweden. Despite this we wish you the best of luck!
måndag 27 september 2010
Want to Clown Around? New Workshop at Smålands
A smile is a weapon of mass construction
Clown Workshop on Friday, October 8th, 5pm till 8pm
Three hours of fun, active participation and clownish experience. Everybody is welcome, no requirements, everybody is born a clown.
What can you expect?
Through selected games, improvisational exercises and sensitivity instructions, we will find the path to our inner clown. The first unit is very practical, full of laughs, fun, emotions and entertainment. It's a slow introduction to the art and philosophy of a clown with all its taboos and limitations. You might find something what you already forgot or thought you never had. It's a opportunity to meet people in a new way with different eyes and without all common measures and judgments. This kind of art can open new paths to everybody who is open to follow it.
What is a clown?
The common image of the circus clown, who is juggling, acting silly and falling on his nose every meter is a myth, which is in my eyes only practiced by people who missed the breaking free of the commercial cliché clown into a much broader spectrum. Being a clown is mostly misunderstood and gets mixed up with being “stupid” or “foolish”. Being a clown is much more. Its a lifestyle, a philosophy, a long practised art. Juggling and doing magic tricks does not make you a clown. It's only your attitude and the relation you have to your own body and mind.
The essence of clown, in the pure sense, is a combination of innocence and maturity, a free mind and wisdom.
A clown is a mirror of society, but is not accepting their taboos and rules.
A clown is
…... is never pretending to be somebody.
…...always acting with the best intentions and always newly surprised by the moment.
…..... is not funny because they're trying to be funny, rather because they're being very serious about something or her/himself.
…...is never parodying something or somebody, he/she always really wants to be like the person he/she admires.
…..to become a clown you have to go back to the time to very early childhood before “education” started.
…..we are in the need of laughing, but at most laughing about ourselves. That’s what the clown stands for.
…......aware that there is always enough space and time for failing and falling; a clown knows the art of failure.
…...also aware that when making people laugh, you make people open to receive. So people might be laughing only watching the clown, but afterwords realizing the real message they got from it. And this can be about everything.
…....an innocent rebel, opposed to the rules and taboos of the society
Bring with you: comfortable clothes, any mood, any face and a little pinch of interest.
If you want sign up for the workshop, please write an email or call the instructor:
(for cancellation please contact me as well)
e-mail: elisabethzenz@hotmail.com
mobile: 0764089255
måndag 20 september 2010
Seriously, Sweden?
I've had a headache all day. The results of the election are in and have spelled huge loses for those who are anti-racist, feminist and socialist. Four more years of a conservative government and the extreme right-wing racist party the Sweden Democrats have entered the Riksdag.
Over the weekend we were treated to some interesting news about an SD candidate in Malmö, David von Arnold Antoni. This is a man who on September 10th went to the police and said that some men speaking an Arabic-sounding language tried to cut a swastika into his forehead. It turns out it was all made up and all evidence points to self-inflicted wounds. (Seems like they're taking a page from the rightists in America -- Sound familiar? Or maybe they just like bad movies from the US?) From the time the supposed attack happened until September 18th, when the wounds were revealed to be self-inflected, SD party leader Jimmie Åkesson used the farce to create attention for his little racist party, criticize "extreme left violence" and draw votes. Another intended effect of the farce was to spread fear and suspicion for non-white men.
What happened? How could so many people vote for a party with roots in Nazi and extreme nationalist parties, a party filled with bizarre, racist ideas about immigration? How can we put a stop to them?
I'm tired of Swedes who hear the word "immigrant" and automatically think "poor, brown and 'strange.'" I am an immigrant. I am white, I am from a Western country, in a position of privilege, but I am still an immigrant and that does not make me any less of a person. In fact, most immigrants in Sweden are from Finland. In order to fight SD, Swedes need to see the real faces of immigration. They should look a bit closer and get to know who we are, what we're doing here in Sweden (it's not living off of their dying welfare system!) and that we're not afraid to get involved in politics.
Over the weekend we were treated to some interesting news about an SD candidate in Malmö, David von Arnold Antoni. This is a man who on September 10th went to the police and said that some men speaking an Arabic-sounding language tried to cut a swastika into his forehead. It turns out it was all made up and all evidence points to self-inflicted wounds. (Seems like they're taking a page from the rightists in America -- Sound familiar? Or maybe they just like bad movies from the US?) From the time the supposed attack happened until September 18th, when the wounds were revealed to be self-inflected, SD party leader Jimmie Åkesson used the farce to create attention for his little racist party, criticize "extreme left violence" and draw votes. Another intended effect of the farce was to spread fear and suspicion for non-white men.
What happened? How could so many people vote for a party with roots in Nazi and extreme nationalist parties, a party filled with bizarre, racist ideas about immigration? How can we put a stop to them?
I'm tired of Swedes who hear the word "immigrant" and automatically think "poor, brown and 'strange.'" I am an immigrant. I am white, I am from a Western country, in a position of privilege, but I am still an immigrant and that does not make me any less of a person. In fact, most immigrants in Sweden are from Finland. In order to fight SD, Swedes need to see the real faces of immigration. They should look a bit closer and get to know who we are, what we're doing here in Sweden (it's not living off of their dying welfare system!) and that we're not afraid to get involved in politics.
onsdag 15 september 2010
Rent Woes? Your Rights Regarding Reasonable Rent
The housing situation in Lund and many other parts of Sweden is a mess. And those who don't speak Swedish can be hit harder by higher rents and closed doors. The International Housing Office, which is supposed to look for international students' needs, charged international students 50% more in rent than Swedish students. Asylum-seekers are charged higher rent because, according to a Migration Board official, "they're not used to our civilization and they don't know how washing machines and other things work."
According to Swedish housing law, it is illegal to charge unnecessarily high rent. The court states that
For those of you that feel you are paying unreasonably high rent, it's time to acquaint yourself with your best weapon: the Swedish Union of Tenants and the court system. There are two ways reasonable rents can be requested and the method depends on how you rent your residence. By filling out this form (in English), you can ask for more information from the Swedish Union of Tenants. Your query should get a response within one working day. If it is found that your rent is unreasonable, you may be eligible to have the money you overpaid returned to you.
We at Smålands can also try to help you out if you feel that you are paying an unreasonable amount in comparison to similar residences. Let's put an end to rent gouging!
According to Swedish housing law, it is illegal to charge unnecessarily high rent. The court states that
in short rent shall be reasonable and that it's not reasonable if it's significantly higher than the rent for an apartment with similar usage (translated from Hyresnämnden).Those of you in search of housing in Lund have probably been seen rooms of offer for extremely high prices. Let's see... On Blocket you can find a it costs nearly 8,000SEK to rent an apartment that's smaller than 50 square meters. How about 7,500SEK (not including electricity!) for a two room apartment with two month's rent in advance? Just how do people get away with this? Well, the tenants don't know or don't care to exercise their rights. The International Housing Office's practice of charging non-Swedish students more than Swedish students was put to an end as soon as a student affected by this reported them to the Discrimination Ombudsman and they ended up paying back rents for a total of over 1.5 million kr. For many students, the key to lower rent answer lies not with the Discrimination Ombudsman, but with other authorities.
For those of you that feel you are paying unreasonably high rent, it's time to acquaint yourself with your best weapon: the Swedish Union of Tenants and the court system. There are two ways reasonable rents can be requested and the method depends on how you rent your residence. By filling out this form (in English), you can ask for more information from the Swedish Union of Tenants. Your query should get a response within one working day. If it is found that your rent is unreasonable, you may be eligible to have the money you overpaid returned to you.
We at Smålands can also try to help you out if you feel that you are paying an unreasonable amount in comparison to similar residences. Let's put an end to rent gouging!
Photo Exhibition at Smålands
Attention aspiring photographers - here's a message from the Smålands Photo Club!
Smålands Glorius Exhibition of Photos!
In Smålands Nation, Photo Takes YOU!
Exhibition is the 29th of October
Closing day for submissions is the 27th of October
We invite everyone with an Idea, a Vision of.. well whatever tickles your fancy really, to submit their photos to the exhibition of a lifetime!
You can submit photos in two categories, digital prints and analogue prints and you can either submit 2-3 small photos in the 20x35cm class or one really big photo in the 40x50cm class. You submit the prints with name, phone and email and the name of the prints to the Smålands office.
The date for the exhibition is the last Friday of October, the 29th, in the Pub lounge. The last day for submissions are on the 27th.
To enter the exhibition you must be a member of the Smålands Photo Club, which costs 100SEK semester and gives you access to our darkroom with free, that's right FREE, photo chemicals and can join our meetings with FREE coffee and cake.
And any theme, motto or idea fora photo is welcome, everything from "straight f/64" to heavy duty Photoshop is welcome. All we ask is that it's nothing too naughty (keep it family friendly) and that you submit your photos printed and not as a digital file - you will have to do your own printing.If you'd like more info then you can write to Chris.
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