Why are highly educated foreigners more likely to leave Sweden?
Advertisement
Of the 17,000 foreign-born people who left Sweden in 2024 to move to a specific other country, fully 57 percent had a university level education, compared to 45 percent among the general foreign-born population as a whole, according to data from Statistics Sweden cited by Sweden's public broadcaster Sveriges Radio.
For Indian citizens who leave Sweden, either to return home or move to another country, the proportion with degrees was as high as 96 percent, and for Iranians it was 68 percent.
Andrea Monti, a post-doctoral researcher at Mälardalen University, told The Local that the higher emigration of highly educated foreigners was not a new phenomenon, with her own PhD dissertation from 2020 citing a "rapid increase in absolute emigration over the preceding 15 years, confirming the findings of a 2006 study which found that highly educated foreigners were more likely to move onward to a third country.
So what are the main reasons why highly educated foreigners are more likely to move on.
Advertisement
Labour Market Mismatch
Samaneh Khaef, a post-doctoral researcher at Stockholm University, said that her forthcoming study on the impact of various levels of educational attainment of refugees in Sweden, had confirmed that those with university-level education were more likely to emigrate, something she said could be due to "mismatches between their qualifications and local labour market demands".
Many educated foreigners find that their qualifications are not recognised in Sweden.
For instance, a study by Micheline van Riemsdijk at Uppsala University found that pharmacists born abroad faced a "career-rewind" on arrival, being forced to re-take courses, re-acquire professional knowledge and skills, and get their professional certifications all over again.
Policy and Immigration Rules
Khaef said the decision of Sweden's new government to tighten citizenship requirements and clamp down on immigration more generally was likely to further increase re-emigration of highly educated foreigners.
"The changing and insecure migration policies in Sweden make many educated foreigners uncertain about their future here," she said. "Many are considering moving to other countries with more stable migration rules, where they can plan for permanent residence without the constant worry of being forced to leave due to shifting policies, which many perceive as unwelcoming toward educated immigrants."
Advertisement
Language and social class
Another driver for emigration was a failure to master the Swedish language, leading immigrants to move to other countries where language difficulties did not prevent them exploiting their education.
"Many migrants have high education and skills that are in demand in the labor market, but the lack of fluency in Swedish is a major barrier," Khaef said in an email. "This leads some to move to English-speaking countries, where their competence is recognized and not overshadowed by language challenges."
It was not only language barriers but also cultural and class ones.
A qualitative study of Iranians in Sweden by Melissa Kelly, who now works at the University of the Free State in South Africa, found that many felt they had lost their middle-class identity in Sweden, which drew them to the "cultural mixing and cosmopolitan vibe" available in London, a city where they could present themselves as "citizens of the world".
Iranians also told Kelly that Sweden's welfare system discouraged high levels of ambition and prevented them from distinguishing themselves from the average citizen, prompting them to seek to move to countries where ambition was more rewarded.
Advertisement
International Career Opportunities
Monti emphasised that part of the reason why more educated migrants were more likely to leave was that they simply had "greater mobility options and labour market possibilities internationally". Those without an education, on the other hand, tended to have their choice limited to staying in Sweden or returning to their home countries.
For many educated migrants, she added, Sweden was viewed from the start as a stepping stone where they could more easily obtain European citizenship and advance their education before moving on elsewhere.
"Generally the reasons for emigration are tightly connected to the reasons for why a person immigrated in the first place. For example, the plan might not have been to stay permanently, or one's expectations in terms of income or labor market status relative to one's education is not fulfilled."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local Sweden
11 hours ago
- Local Sweden
Why are highly educated foreigners more likely to leave Sweden?
Foreign-born people living in Sweden are much more likely to leave and go elsewhere if they have a university-level education, according to data from Statistics Sweden. What does the research say about this? Advertisement Of the 17,000 foreign-born people who left Sweden in 2024 to move to a specific other country, fully 57 percent had a university level education, compared to 45 percent among the general foreign-born population as a whole, according to data from Statistics Sweden cited by Sweden's public broadcaster Sveriges Radio. For Indian citizens who leave Sweden, either to return home or move to another country, the proportion with degrees was as high as 96 percent, and for Iranians it was 68 percent. Andrea Monti, a post-doctoral researcher at Mälardalen University, told The Local that the higher emigration of highly educated foreigners was not a new phenomenon, with her own PhD dissertation from 2020 citing a "rapid increase in absolute emigration over the preceding 15 years, confirming the findings of a 2006 study which found that highly educated foreigners were more likely to move onward to a third country. So what are the main reasons why highly educated foreigners are more likely to move on. Advertisement Labour Market Mismatch Samaneh Khaef, a post-doctoral researcher at Stockholm University, said that her forthcoming study on the impact of various levels of educational attainment of refugees in Sweden, had confirmed that those with university-level education were more likely to emigrate, something she said could be due to "mismatches between their qualifications and local labour market demands". Many educated foreigners find that their qualifications are not recognised in Sweden. For instance, a study by Micheline van Riemsdijk at Uppsala University found that pharmacists born abroad faced a "career-rewind" on arrival, being forced to re-take courses, re-acquire professional knowledge and skills, and get their professional certifications all over again. Policy and Immigration Rules Khaef said the decision of Sweden's new government to tighten citizenship requirements and clamp down on immigration more generally was likely to further increase re-emigration of highly educated foreigners. "The changing and insecure migration policies in Sweden make many educated foreigners uncertain about their future here," she said. "Many are considering moving to other countries with more stable migration rules, where they can plan for permanent residence without the constant worry of being forced to leave due to shifting policies, which many perceive as unwelcoming toward educated immigrants." Advertisement Language and social class Another driver for emigration was a failure to master the Swedish language, leading immigrants to move to other countries where language difficulties did not prevent them exploiting their education. "Many migrants have high education and skills that are in demand in the labor market, but the lack of fluency in Swedish is a major barrier," Khaef said in an email. "This leads some to move to English-speaking countries, where their competence is recognized and not overshadowed by language challenges." It was not only language barriers but also cultural and class ones. A qualitative study of Iranians in Sweden by Melissa Kelly, who now works at the University of the Free State in South Africa, found that many felt they had lost their middle-class identity in Sweden, which drew them to the "cultural mixing and cosmopolitan vibe" available in London, a city where they could present themselves as "citizens of the world". Iranians also told Kelly that Sweden's welfare system discouraged high levels of ambition and prevented them from distinguishing themselves from the average citizen, prompting them to seek to move to countries where ambition was more rewarded. Advertisement International Career Opportunities Monti emphasised that part of the reason why more educated migrants were more likely to leave was that they simply had "greater mobility options and labour market possibilities internationally". Those without an education, on the other hand, tended to have their choice limited to staying in Sweden or returning to their home countries. For many educated migrants, she added, Sweden was viewed from the start as a stepping stone where they could more easily obtain European citizenship and advance their education before moving on elsewhere. "Generally the reasons for emigration are tightly connected to the reasons for why a person immigrated in the first place. For example, the plan might not have been to stay permanently, or one's expectations in terms of income or labor market status relative to one's education is not fulfilled."
Local Sweden
4 days ago
- Local Sweden
'A good rate': Sweden carries out 3,500 in-person citizenship appointments
Sweden has carried out 3,501 in-person appointments for citizenship since the extra security checks began to take place in late May at the government's request. Advertisement "We have seen that bookings for in-person appointments are increasing at a good rate. We have capacity to accommodate more and we currently have no waiting times," Rebecka Paulusson, a spokesperson for the Swedish Migration Agency. "During the autumn, the pace is expected to increase further." In the months leading up to August 4th, 4,120 people have been sent letters inviting them to book an appointment for the checks, which are supposed to be the final stage of the citizenship application process, and the Migration Agency currently has 4,000 appointments available each month at its various offices around Sweden. Paulusson said that the agency at present did not know how rapidly those who attend the appointment are granted citizenship. "We don't have any data on this, but it is supposed to be fast," she said. The ID checks are part of Sweden's new security measures for citizenship applications, which were rolled out by the Migration Agency in April on the government's request. But because the routines for the appointments hadn't yet been set up by the time the new security checks came into effect, Sweden went almost two months without the agency being able to approve any citizenship through naturalisation cases at all. Advertisement In late May they finally got under way, with just over 2,000 appointment letters sent out to applicants by the end of June, indicating that it is currently sending out about 2,000 letters a month. READ ALSO: How many Swedish citizenship applicants have been called to in-person ID checks? Applicants have eight weeks from the date the letter is sent to book an appointment or contact the Migration Agency, otherwise they risk their application being denied. The letter is sent out by post once an applicant reaches the final stages of their citizenship application. The booking page is currently open to everyone, but only those who have received the letter inviting them to book a time slot should do so. READ ALSO: What's in the appointment letter for Swedish citizenship? The extra security checks, which also include applicants being sent an 11-page questionnaire with additional security questions, is the result of an order from the government and its far-right Sweden Democrat allies in January for the Migration Agency to take "forceful measures" to "as far as possible" prevent people who pose a threat to security or use a fake identity from being granted citizenship.
Local Sweden
5 days ago
- Local Sweden
Can Sweden really attract global talent while making citizenship harder?
Sweden's migration minister, Johan Forssell, has yet to explain how Sweden can attract highly skilled foreign workers at the same time as making citizenship rules ever stricter, argues Eric Peterson, the US software engineer behind a recent petition. Advertisement Migration Minister Johan Forssell recently claimed in SvD that the opposition lacks answers to questions the government is addressing with tougher citizenship requirements. But the question he himself should answer is how the government intends to reconcile these restrictions with its ambition to attract highly skilled foreign workers to Sweden. In the debate on labor migration, two crucial perspectives exist: employers and their need for expertise, and the foreign professionals meeting this need. The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise has repeatedly warned that the government's tightening measures, especially higher salary requirements, risk hindering Sweden's long-term growth. Only now is the government beginning to acknowledge that message. Despite repeated attempts, the government has yet to acknowledge concerns expressed by foreign workers. Our opinion pieces and our official response to the government's citizenship inquiry—signed by nearly 400 labour migrants in the tech sector—have gone unanswered. READ ALSO: Foreign tech workers campaign against new Swedish citizenship law In an interview with Sveriges Radio in January, Forssell made it clear, 'Only Swedish citizens have the unconditional right to stay in the country.' Advertisement We are well aware of this. Any shift in policy, economy, or at our employers could force us to leave Sweden at great personal and financial cost. A former Northvolt employee said it best in an interview with Norran last month: "There's nothing that beats stability when you're an immigrant abroad. If you don't have that, you're still in a fight or survival mode." That is exactly why the government's proposal to extend the residency requirement for citizenship—from five to at least eight years—is so problematic. It means nearly a quarter of a working life would be spent in legal and economic limbo. At the same time, developments in other European countries are moving in the opposite direction. Where does the government think highly skilled workers would prefer to settle: Sweden, with stricter rules, or Germany, where one can now obtain citizenship after five years—or as low as three with exceptional integration? To make matters worse, Forssell has argued that no transitional rules should apply. That means people who arrived five years ago, followed all regulations, and paid taxes could suddenly be denied citizenship simply because of the Migration Agency's lengthy processing times. Advertisement Increased economic and legal uncertainty will drive skilled workers to countries offering greater stability. Jobs they would have taken in Sweden will remain unfilled. For those already here, changing the rules in the middle of the game doesn't just undermine trust—it severs the fragile link between high-skilled migrants and Swedish society. That risks not just failed integration, but a real brain drain. Sweden naturally has the right to reform its laws. But the Swedish people deserve a government whose reforms are well thought out, economically sustainable, and strengthen Sweden's long-term competitiveness.
