Reforms leave international students fearing deportation

The Swedish government’s recent strict migration reforms have led to international students questioning Sweden’s future as a knowledge nation, in particular in relation to research policy goals and students’ paths from studies to work. Higher education stakeholders say that Sweden needs to welcome talents – regardless of origin or background.

On 1 June 82 international students at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, from all corners of the world, wrote a debate article in Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter, where they stated: “Last year, 10,000 international students came to Sweden. We are some of them. But Sweden has become cold, and our place here is uncertain. New, stricter rules mean that more of us are at risk of being sent [home], which would be an enormous loss for Swedish research and skills supply.”

The students spoke about the anxiety of being an international student in Sweden. “You are far away from family, friends and the everyday life you are used to. You have gotten a taste of Swedish bureaucracy through the extensive application and approval for a residence permit for studies. The effort is finally starting to feel worth it when the first semester of the masters programme is now complete.

“But then a letter from the Swedish Migration Agency drops. Your identity documents and proof of secure livelihood are now suspected of being forged and your residence permit has been revoked.

“You are forced to leave the country immediately, without time to say goodbye or a proper opportunity to contest the decision. Dreams are shattered, a chair becomes empty in the classroom, leaving a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety for those of us who remain.

“This is not a hypothetical example, this has affected our fellow students at Karolinska Institutet. As the Swedish government now implements the next step in its migration reform, the situation risks worsening, with major consequences for Sweden’s research policy goals and competitiveness.”

‘Unpredictable and legally uncertain’ system

The students expressed their uncertainty over study and work conditions. “We experience the system as increasingly unpredictable and legally uncertain, with sudden reassessments and extensive requirements for completion.

“This summer, stricter regulations for international students at bachelor and masters level will come into force, including working hour restrictions and tighter opportunities for changing tracks from studies to work.

“In addition, the new conduct requirement creates further concern, not least linked to civil law impact in the form of unclear criteria and arbitrary assessments.”

They also noted the existential ramifications of the government reforms.

“This is not just about the ‘empty chair in our classroom’. It is about Sweden’s future as a ‘knowledge nation’, where Sweden risks missing out on international talent. Countries like Germany, the Netherlands and Canada offer a predictable system, with a clear path from studies to work after graduation,” they stated.

“In comparison, Sweden is increasingly associated with administrative uncertainty, which affects students’ willingness to establish themselves in Sweden long-term. We believe that universities must act and respond to the new migration law reality.

“If Swedish universities are serious about their internationalisation work, their operations need to be developed to ensure that international talent is not discouraged from applying here, or that serious students fall victim to detailed review and expulsion.

“This could, for example, involve developing support functions to quickly help and facilitate students whose residence permits are retroactively subject to rigorous review.”

Sweden ‘must take care of talents’

Director of the Karolinska Institutet Veronika Sundström responded in Dagens Nyheter: “That’s right, Sweden must take care of talents – regardless of origin”, she said.

“Students at Karolinska Institutet (KI) raise an urgent topic in DN Debatt (1/6). Clear conditions, predictability and a legally secure and efficient process for international students’ opportunities to study in Sweden are important issues.

“Both KI and the Swedish University and Higher Education Association (SUHF) have in several different contexts and repeatedly raised the changes that have been implemented in the area of migration and how it affects students at bachelor and master level.

“Of course, one may think that higher education institutions could have done more, but we do not agree that ‘universities are silent’. Basically, we agree. Sweden needs to actively welcome and take care of talents and skills – regardless of origin or background,” Sundström said.

Topias Tolonen-Weckström, former chairperson of the Doctoral Committee (SFS) and a PhD student in mathematics at Uppsala University, told University World News: “While some of the concerns raised in the letter consider only first- and second-cycle students, their basic message resonates also within international doctoral students.

“Since 2021, there have been numerous changes to Sweden’s migrational policy regarding doctoral students, and the ever-changing legal foundations of getting a decision regarding applying for a permit renewal or a permanent residence, for example, make the outcomes appear non-predictable and, at worst, arbitrary.

“I have several international colleagues at Swedish universities who have outright stated that they do not recommend Sweden as a place of study to their friends and family. However, as the letter rightfully reminded and as also stated by the Government, Sweden needs high-skill labour supply from abroad. I wish the future policies indeed help to match this need,” Tolonen-Weckström said.

Minister of Higher Education and Research Lotta Edholm (Liberal Party), in DN Debatt on 3 June stated: “Sweden is still a country that researchers seek out. Closing loopholes is not an attack on serious international students”.

‘Diversity in academia makes us stronger’

Rasmus Lindstedt, president of the Swedish National Union of Students, representing over 400,000 students and doctoral students, told University World News: “We have been highly critical of the changes to migration law which the government has undertaken. I truly believe that diversity in academia makes us stronger and more competitive, and it’s sad to see that the current government mainly seems to view international students as a threat.

“One often-stated argument by the government is supposed widespread and systematic fraud of residence permits for students, but the Swedish national audit office (Riksrevisionen) found no such evidence during their audit report in 2024.

“The biggest risk is, of course, that students choose to study in other countries instead, which would be a loss for Swedish academia and Swedish business and enterprise.”

Lindstedt explained: “The government had put in place an inquiry to limit, for example, the number of hours non-EU students on a residence permit for study could work to 15 hours per week, and SFS and SULF, along with others, were critical of the fact that here were no expectations for example for recently graduated students looking for employment in Sweden.

“It does, however, seem like the government has listened, and in their latest proposal they’ve allowed for students to work more than 15 hours per week during summer, for example.

Regarding questions on the Sweden Democrats policy, he stated: “I have a hard time seeing that they would not push to restrict all types of migration, including students.”

“During the latest parliamentary debates on higher education, from last year, the main focus of the representative of the Sweden Democrats was to restrict migration policies in the area of higher education.

“For example, they want to limit students to only study programmes (instead of programmes and/or courses), put in place systems for Swedish universities to report study progress of international students to the Swedish migration agency, and restrict the possibility for students to work.

“Furthermore, they want universities to speak Swedish to a greater extent, which would of course limit the possibility for international students to study at Swedish universities. We are highly critical of all of these proposed reforms.”