Miranda Andersson, 24, who is studying for a Master's degree in Digital Media at Uppsala University, moved the money over the summer and left it in her parents' account for just two months, but has now been informed by Sweden's Migration Agency that she must leave the country.
The reason? Her account in Sweden briefly dropped below the 80,640 kronor ($10,126) foreign students from outside the EU need to have in their accounts to get residency.
“I feel very frustrated,” Andersson told The Local. “It's very aggravating to deal with with school and everything going on at the same time. I wanted to study and get my degree and it feels that they don't want me to do that.”
She said that she had believed that it was enough to have the required funds available.
“I showed them that I can support myself for the whole year, but they said 'you can't do that, you can't just take money out and put it back in',” Andersson said.
The money was in her account at the time she applied for residency, and was returned to it as soon as she realized her error.
“They wanted me to keep the money in my account at all times. I just misunderstood that. When I discovered it, I just put the money back into my account.”
Andersson said that had initially wanted to keep the money in my parents’ account for safekeeping, but then realized that she needed to keep her living funds in her own account.
“I sold my car in August, and they sold it on my behalf – so that's where the final money came from. All the money had been mine all along, I just didn't want to keep that large an amount of money in my account all at once.”
But the Migration Agency insists sufficient funds must be in an account under the name of the applicant throughout the period of residency.
“The applicant should show that she has money for the entire time she is applying for a residency permit,” said David Lindstrand, the agency's legal expert. “You should have the money in a named account over the entire period.”
Lindstrand said that the agency grants 90 percent of residency applications from students, and said it was possible that the Migration Court could take a more lenient view.
Andersson received her decision in November, and has already had one appeal in December. She has now sent it to the Migration Court and expects a decision within between six to twelve months.
“She's has appealed the decision, so we should wait and see what the Migration Court rules.”
Andersson is worried that if the court rules early, she might be forced to leave Sweden before she graduates in June, writing her thesis from outside the country.
But a greater worry is that it might close off her plans to work in Sweden after graduation.
Andersson's father comes from the Swedish community in Minnesota.
“My father's side is all Swedish ancestry. From Småland, and they're very proud of it. My father came here to teach business English back in the 1970s and learn Swedish as well, so he kind of inspired me to go abroad in my early 20s and get my degree.”
She now lives with her Swedish boyfriend, speaks fluent Swedish and has a job in PR.
“My initial plan was just to come for education, but now it's changed because I've really enjoyed my time here and feel at home,” she said. “I would really like to stay here. We would really like to live together in Stockholm.”
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