Inside Sweden: Migration, Easter and we're launching a new newsletter

Hej,

Emma here today, hope your Easter weekend is just the way you want it!

Today on The Local's Sweden in Focus podcast, we talk about Easter traditions, the biggest stories of the week and Swedish attitudes to drugs. Spotify now has a new feature which allows you to comment on episodes, so if that's where you listen to us, feel free to drop us a comment and let us know what you think.

This week we've been planning the launch of a new newsletter for Indians in Sweden. We ran a survey in our daily newsletter and in the Indians in Sweden Facebook group to ask for people's thoughts on what should be included in the newsletter, but readers are also always welcome to email us directly if you have feedback to share. You can sign up to receive the newsletter here.

We've also been writing this week about Brits in Sweden, specifically Brits affected by deportation orders. Sweden really sticks out in the EU statistics and we're trying to find out what – if anything – is being done about it.

Kathleen Poole, a 74-year-old British grandmother with Alzheimer's, will be able to stay in Sweden for the time being. The Migration Agency has put her deportation on hold pending a doctor's assessment of her health.

This doesn't mean her deportation order has been repealed, and it doesn't extend to other Brits facing a similar fate. But it's good news for Poole and her family, although their fight to help her stay for good continues.

In other migration-related news, the Migration Agency this week asked the government to pause a "fast-track" scheme which allows people who have been waiting for a certain number of months for their permit or citizenship application to be processed to request an immediate decision on their case.

According to the Migration Agency, the increasing number of people who file such requests is adding to the burden of their staff and slows down the processing of other cases – although it might of course not be entirely out of line to wonder if they've got their chickens and eggs in the wrong order. Surely making sure that cases are actually processed on time should be the priority?

Property prices in Sweden are on the rise despite interest rate hikes, surprising even the experts. If you, like me, have to renegotiate your mortgage soon, here's our always-handy guide to how to get the best rate. Or perhaps, with the market being what it is, that should say how to get the least-worst rate.

Thanks for reading and Glad Påsk! I leave you with this picture of me as a Swedish Easter Witch at a university party many, many years ago (that's just juice in those bottles, Mum):

Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members that gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to your newsletter preferences.