Planning to move from Sweden to the UK? You’re not alone
Posted on January 26, 2022
Swedish citizens planning to move to the UK for work or study, now need to apply for a visa since the UK introduced a points-based immigration system, but that has not dampened the enthusiasm for many Swedes who are relocating to the UK in their droves.
Why is the UK so popular for Swedes?
There’s many reasons, but primarily the UK is not that far from home, and there’s plenty of work and study opportunities. Salaries are generally higher, and as most Swedes speak English very well, the language is not a barrier.
Most Swedes base themselves in London, but actually the Swedish community is quite widespread around the UK, hence the reason that you can find Swedish Consulates as far afield as Belfast, Liverpool, Brighton and Edinburgh.
Many Swedes remain in the UK for long periods, in fact during the build up to BREXIT the UK Home Office stated that around 63 percent of the Swedes living in the UK had applied for its EU Settlement Scheme. However COVID did force a lot of expats back to Sweden, and the community did temporarily shrink but that trend is on the re-bound.
Moving to the UK from Sweden
ClickMoves specialise in helping families and individuals move their household goods and personal effect between Sweden and the UK. Matt Burden (Director) explained “In 2020 we saw a big increase in the numbers of Swedes moving back to Sweden due to the dual effects of BREXIT and COVID. But the exodus slowed and we have seen a resurgence in the numbers of Swedes, particularly the younger generation, relocating back to the UK for work and study. In fact over the last 4 months we have seen an 80% increase in the numbers of enquiries for removal services from Sweden to the UK”.
What documentation is required to work or study in the UK?
If you’re planning on moving from Sweden to the UK for work or study, you will need to go through a visa application process, most of which can be done online. Generally the process is much simplified if you already have a job offer, or acceptance to a study program. You’ll need to be sponsored, and you’ll need to demonstrate that you have the required skill set and qualifications. More information is available from the UK Government
To move your personal effects from Sweden to the UK, ClickMoves advise that “in order to pass through UK border controls with our clients household goods and personal effects, we need to present our clients transfer of residence (ToR) number which can be obtained through the UK government website The application process normally takes about 1 to 2 week, and with that ToR number we can avoid our clients having paying import tax and duties”
How much will it costs to relocate to the UK?
The costs of the working visa does vary depending on your circumstances and the term of the visa, but in general you should budget for no less than £2,000 (student visas are cheaper), and you will also need to prove that you have sufficient funds to get by once you’ve arrived in the UK.
If you plan to take some household goods and personal effects with you, do shop around because different Movers offer different services and rates, but as a guideline, ClickMoves offer a door to door “assisted move” service with prices starting at £600.00.
The costs for getting to the UK, will depend on how you travel of course, but even direct flights from Stockholm to London are reasonably cheap at the moment.
Assuming that you will be renting somewhere to live, you will need to factor in upto 5 weeks tenancy deposit. And if you’re working, remember that you’ll probably not get paid until the end of the month at the earliest.
If, after reading this article you are still planning on moving from Sweden o the UK, good luck with the adventure, you’ll have a ball.