New inquiry to tackle migration hurdles for researchers

In a bid to improve the country’s ability to attract and retain international doctoral students and researchers, the Swedish government has announced a special investigation into the process by which visas are being granted and how abuse of the visa system can be minimised.

Reports about the difficulties experienced by international doctorate students and researchers seeking legitimate entry and residence in Sweden have been forthcoming for several years. Changes are now in the offing, but there are concerns about what the broader immigration landscape will look like given that many of the potential reforms currently underway are being driven by the right wing Sweden Democrats.

The announcement of the investigation was made during a visit to the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm by Minister of Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard and Minister of Education and Research Mats Persson on 8 April.

Mattias Pleiner, a judge at the Svea Court of Appeal (Svea hovrätt), has been appointed investigator and is to deliver his report by 9 December.

In addition to improving conditions for doctoral and research students, the investigation is aimed at coming up with a more secure evaluation of student residence permit applications and to counteract the misuse of such residence permits.

“This investigation is an important step in the work to ease and improve the prerequisites for international doctorate students and researchers in Sweden. It is also important that the residence permit is only given to persons that are going to study in Sweden and not take benefit of the system for another purpose,” Stenergard said.

“Sweden is a strong research and innovation nation, and international collaboration is central for us to retain this [status]. An important factor is that there are good preconditions for international researchers to come to Sweden and share their knowledge,” Persson said.

Of those who began doctoral studies in Sweden in 2022, 42% were foreign citizens, and in the field of natural sciences, this proportion was as high as 63%.

At the same time, statistics show that a large proportion of doctoral students leave the country after completing their studies, a fact that critics link to migration law regulations.

The Swedish Migration Agency currently requires that applicants show proof of employment for at least 18 months from the time of assessment to fulfil the income requirement for a permanent residence permit. This has posed problems as researchers are often appointed on fixed-term contracts, as reported by University World News.

Collaborative approach

According to the investigation mandate, the issue of abuse of permits is to be worked out in collaboration with the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF) and the Swedish Migration Agency.

In a press release that welcomed the government investigation – a sign that it “has listened to SULF” – the Association of Swedish Researchers and University Teachers (SULF) said members are well aware of the difficulties the present regulations have for those seeking to stay and work in Sweden. In 2021 SULF issued a 10-point guide to the Swedish residency permit to help prospective migrants.

SULF President Sanna Wolk told University World News last week: “We see that our work is yielding results. Since spring 2021, SULF has highlighted these issues for visiting doctoral students and researchers. It is important for Sweden's competitiveness that this qualified group is given opportunities to stay in Sweden.”

Wolk said the investigation should have been initiated earlier.

“The problems have been known for over three years and we now expect that the investigator will have close contact with us as we represent the country's doctoral students and researchers. Our members are well aware of the difficulties that the current regulations pose for the possibilities of staying in Sweden,” she said.

Ongoing investigation

The latest investigation will run alongside another, ongoing investigation by the Swedish National Audit Office which is looking into the process by which fee-paying third country students (those from outside the European Union and the European Economic Area) can be encouraged to enter the higher education system in Sweden. The results of that investigation, which began in December 2023, will be published in November 2024.

Another 10-member collaboration group comprising the Swedish Migration Agency and SUHF, in response to a government commission, produced a cooperation group report on 26 March on ways to make it easier for those who intend to study and need a residence permit to apply, as well as on measures to counter abuse of residence permits for studies in higher education.

The group was also tasked with reviewing the collaboration model between the universities (SUHF), the Swedish Migration Agency and other authorities in order to shorten lead times for the applicant in the entire process.

Among its recommendations were increased demands on language requirements for admission at universities, agreement between the migration agency and universities regarding the reporting of interruption of studies, a reduction in the unlimited right to work during studies and a change in the tuition fee waiver for accompanying persons. The group also proposed increased requirements for changing status from study to work with regard to residence permits.

Christopher Sönnerbrandt, senior advisor at SUHF, who is part of the collaboration group, said: “We are very positive about this collaboration with the migration agency. This is going to make Sweden a more attractive nation for international students and researchers.”

Anti-immigration stance

Despite these sentiments, there are concerns about a general anti-immigration stance by the Swedish government.

In a masters thesis completed last year, which analyses the contents of the Tidö Agreement, (the political agreement of right-wing parties, including the Sweden Democrats, Moderate Party, Christian Democrats and Liberals, which appointed Ulf Kristersson as prime minister after the 2022 Swedish general election), Karl Johansson argues that there is a strong will in the government and the Sweden Democrats, to create “very different migration policies”.

In his thesis, titled “From Global Justice to National Order? An analysis of the newly proposed immigration and integration policies of Sweden,” Johansson says “more prerequisites have to be fulfilled to reside in Sweden and become a citizen. Even though legislation has been strict in some sense, notably when it comes to the time of the residence permits, being three years at the first decision, which is among the shorter in Europe, there are definitely more dimensions added [with the new government]”.

He explains: “The wages floor for labour immigrants is to be raised, making it possible only for people with certain competencies to migrate to Sweden, and migrants working in low-paid jobs will not be able to migrate. There will be an increased focus on inner security and outer security, with increased residence permit controls made also by people working in welfare, although that seems to be further discussed.

“To reside in Sweden will demand a lifestyle free of friction with Swedish society ... More requirements are also to be fulfilled for a non-citizen to receive citizenship. One can see, in all these proposals, but also in the statements from the Sweden Democrats as well as the government in their government policy statement that there is a strong will to create very different migration policies in Sweden behind the agreement.”

He argues that the rules “have undoubtedly been taken forward in order to fulfil the goal of having, even more, shrinking immigration to Sweden ... It is supposed to be more difficult to become a Swede overall, showing that the intention of this agreement in the migration and integration area is to create overall a bigger difference and a long way to citizenship”.

‘One step forward’

Despite this, the reaction to the inquiry has been generally positive.

Topias Tolonen-Weckström, chairperson of the Doctoral Committee at the Swedish National Union of Students, told University World News Sweden’s intention to actively seek ways to attract and to retain academic workers via the investigation was “one step forward”.

“It is good that the government of Sweden seems to acknowledge that ... academic positions are ill-suited to the traditional framework migration processes seem to assume of the permit-seekers,” he said.

“However, we are perplexed about linking smarter migration processes for researchers and doctoral students with abusing the system: to our knowledge, there is little information on whether doctoral student positions are used to circumvent other means of residence permits.

“According to the Higher Education Ordinance, doctoral students need to be financed – the phenomenon of accepting a position and not intending to work would not primarily be a migration issue but a labour one,” he said.

Tolonen-Weckström said higher educational institutions should retain their status as institutions primarily offering the highest education in Sweden and not be required to “transform into immigration control offices”.

President of KTH and chair of the Samverkansgrupp SUHF-Migrationsverket Anders Söderholm said he was encouraged by the close cooperation between higher education and the Swedish Migration Agency and by the fact that foreign students can apply for two-year instead of one-year residence permits.

“When it comes to the recently appointed inquiry (which SUHF is not part of), we take a positive view of the approach on how to facilitate and improve the prospects of attracting and retaining foreign doctoral students and researchers. This will strengthen the competitiveness of our higher education institutions which of course benefits Sweden as a whole,” Söderholm said.

Perceptions of risk

Jacob Färnert, chair of the Swedish National Union of Students (SFS), told Universitatslararen on 11 April the proposals were moving forward too fast.

“Of course it is good to prevent abuse, but we see that this is making it difficult or deters persons from studying in Sweden. We are already getting messages that students are facing tough bureaucracy,” he said.

He said the SFS receives emails from foreign students asking for tips on how to make ends meet during their studies.

“That’s why you have to be careful about bending rules that for some people are crucial to making ends meet,” he reportedly said.

However, in the same report Persson was quoted as saying: “I do not see any such risks ... Regulations that are counteracting abuse of the system will make it easier for serious students ... to stay behind in Sweden upon graduation. The admission to doctorate training is completely different compared to studies at lower levels.”

On April 15, 2024 SULF hosted a webinar on the investigation and its parameters which can be viewed here.