Can Sweden's migration minister survive scandal of son's extremist links?
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In this week's episode we talk about revelations that the son of Johan Forssell, Sweden's migration minister, has been active in far-right extremist groups and how the scandal is affecting the government.
We also discuss what's behind a recent spate of redundancies in Sweden's games sector, an industry that employs a disproportionately high number of foreign workers.
For Membership+ subscribers, we look at how the Migration Agency is handling a request by the government to present a list of professions that could be exempted from work permit salary requirements.
And finally, we dig into a list of recommendations from readers of The Local on how best to enjoy the summer holiday season in Sweden.
Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange.
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Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:
Politics
Working in Sweden
Work permits
Swedish citizenship
You can listen to the free episode here:
Or follow Sweden in Focus wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Local Sweden
2 days ago
- Local Sweden
Can Sweden's migration minister survive scandal of son's extremist links?
This week: Minister under pressure over son's white supremacist links, and how bad is the crisis in Sweden's games industry? For Membership+ subscribers: latest on plans to exempt some professions from work permit salary requirements, and readers' Swedish summer tips. Advertisement In this week's episode we talk about revelations that the son of Johan Forssell, Sweden's migration minister, has been active in far-right extremist groups and how the scandal is affecting the government. We also discuss what's behind a recent spate of redundancies in Sweden's games sector, an industry that employs a disproportionately high number of foreign workers. For Membership+ subscribers, we look at how the Migration Agency is handling a request by the government to present a list of professions that could be exempted from work permit salary requirements. And finally, we dig into a list of recommendations from readers of The Local on how best to enjoy the summer holiday season in Sweden. Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange. Advertisement Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode: Politics Working in Sweden Work permits Swedish citizenship You can listen to the free episode here: Or follow Sweden in Focus wherever you listen to podcasts. Advertisement Get Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcasts Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday. Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+ Read more about Membership+ in our help centre. Already have Membership+ but not receiving all the episodes? Go to the podcast tab on your account page to activate your subscription. Advertisement
Local Sweden
2 days ago
- Local Sweden
Swedish Migration Agency to publish work permit salary limit exemptions
Sweden's Migration Agency will next week publish a list of the jobs which could potentially be exempted from a new salary threshold for work permits, but it stresses that there's little chance of these exemptions coming into force any time soon. Advertisement According to Hanna Geurtsen, deputy head of the Migration Agency's new work permit "special focus area", the list will be based on another list of 152 job titles provided in a memo to the agency from the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) on June 1st. "We will have a list, but it will not be 'the list of exemptions'," Geurtsen stressed. "It will instead be part of the underlying information and reasoning that the government needs to take into consideration if they want to proceed with this proposal." The list is set to be published by the end of next week, well ahead of the August 1st deadline given by Sweden's then labour and integration minister, Mats Persson, when he requested it in February. In the press release announcing the order, he said that "opportunities for exceptions for professions where there is a shortage" were "of great importance". The Migration Agency has taken the Arbetsförmedlingen list of 152 job titles and then noted down which job titles have in the past been taken by foreign workers in significant numbers; which, such as the police or the military, require Swedish citizenship; and which have in the past been abused by employers or subject to workforce exploitation. Advertisement Arbetsförmedlingen's list in turn whittled down the 429 job titles listed in the Swedish Standard Classification of Occupations (SSYK) system which both pay less than Sweden's median salary and for which employers also have problems recruiting from within Sweden. Geurtsen stressed that because the government had yet to propose the legislation for a future work permit salary threshold with exceptions, the list presented next week could only be advisory. Since a government inquiry into the salary threshold and exemptions was published in February 2024, with consultation responses received in April 2024, the government has for more than a year delayed taking the next step, which would be to submit a draft bill to the Council of Legislation. This means that the date the inquiry envisaged for the higher salary requirement (at least 100 percent of the median salary) and possible exceptions – June 1st – passed without even a draft bill published, let alone one submitted to and voted through by parliament. "What's important to understand here is that there is currently no legislation which would regulate a salary requirement," Geurtsen told The Local. "This list cannot come into force. It doesn't have any legal status until they tell us how they want to legislate. They also need to decide who in the future will have the mandate to decide on the list. We don't have that mandate." In particular, she said, it's important to understand that the exceptions cannot be applied to the current salary threshold, which is set at 80 percent of the median salary, as this is based on different legislation, the försörjningskrav, which concerns the amount the government judges people need to earn to live comfortably. Alongside the list, the Migration Agency will also explain why the order it was given in February has been challenging to fulfil. "Our press release will stress the fact that this task was difficult to execute due to lack of general definitions and a lack of methodology," Geurtsen said. Advertisement The request, she noted, had given no guidance on how to judge what "risk of abuse or workplace exploitation" would be enough to bar a job title from having an exception. Another complication was that Arbetsförmedlingen was asked to provide its list by June 1st, and the median salary was then updated on June 17th. This meant that the list it provided was out of date only 16 days after it was passed to the Migration Agency.
Local Sweden
4 days ago
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'I call Sweden home': How foreigners feel about becoming Swedish citizens
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'No one cares about the passport that you have when it comes to how they treat you in this country, in a positive or negative way. You might be born here and lived here for your entire life but can still be asked where you are from if your name is not typically Swedish. On the contrary, you might be treated like a Swede at the Midsummer table in your first month. It completely depends on the people who you're interacting with.' Sulabh, an Indian IT consultant, said becoming a citizen hadn't changed anything on an emotional level for him, and that he still follows Indian news, festivals and cricket. 'The passport doesn't change your face or identity and it seems like even after 20 years of being a Swedish citizen I will be recognised as Indian,' he wrote. 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