Changing your residence permit seems impossible. For that reason, it seems like American Sophia Schuff will have to pay tuition fees, even though she has the right to study for free.
Four years ago, 23-year-old Sophia Schuff from California studied architecture in Copenhagen. There she met her current boyfriend, who lived in Sweden. In 2012 they decided to move in together.
She then applied for a normal residence permit for students after being accepted at the Lund University International Master’s Programme in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science (LUMES). As a student from outside of Europe, she then had to pay a tuition fee.
But after she started studying, Sophia found out in November last year that she was eligible for another kind of residence permit. If she was granted this permit, it would mean that she could avoid future tuition fees. Therefore, she applied for a change of residence permit with the Migration Board the following month.
After several months of waiting, she received the answer from the Migration Board that they would not try the case. They meant that she already had a residence permit, which expires September 1 2013, and that she could not reapply so early. She then had one week to appeal against the decision to the Migration Court in Malmö.
One month later, Sophia Schuff received her answer from the Migration Court. In the letter, the court agreed with the Migration Board and dismissed her appeal.
But the thing that the migration authorities don’t seem to grasp is the fact that she wants to change residence permit to avoid the high tuition fees.
For that reason, she has applied for leave to appeal with the Administrative Court of Appeal. In addition, she has written a plea to the Migration Board.
“Dealing with this situation has been one of the most stressful and upsetting situations I’ve ever dealt with. I find that all of my time since December has been spent writing applications, appealing things, and stressing out about this visa, whereas I should be spending my time worrying about my thesis and doing well in class.”
So far, Sophia Schuff has paid the tuition fee for the autumn term. But as long as the appeals process is in progress, the Lund University Admissions Board has given her a delay of payment. This means that she will not have to pay the tuition fee for the spring term for now.
”To be honest I have no idea what to do if I am rejected. I will have to appeal it, but I am unsure how to.”
If she is rejected, it would mean discontinuing her studies and waiting to apply for a new residence permit in August.
“It would be really sad to me to have to do that, because of course I enjoy the people I am in this programme with, I absolutely love the classes”, says Sophia Schuff.
Also read: “She is a Catch-22 Case”
The Lund University Admissions Board is critical of the way the Migration Board has handled the case.
Translation: Matilda Lundborg
