The new rules came into force on April 1st, and the decision not to include transitional rules means that they won't just affect new applicants, but also people applying to renew their work permits who have chosen this path in the past, and people who have pending applications who don't receive a decision before that date.
The Local set up a survey to hear from some of the estimated 4,700 people living in Sweden who may no longer be able to extend their work permits – and risk having to leave the country together with their families once their current permit expires. Here's what they said.
‘I feel ashamed, like I’m failing my children, even though I followed the rules’
Mohammad Goodarzi, based in Borås, fled Iran for Sweden in January 2020. He has a work permit but will be unable to renew it under the new rules once it expires.
“I’m a single father to my 11-year-old son, who’s in fourth grade, and my 17-year-old daughter, who’s in 11th grade and set to graduate next year. I’ve worked steadily at a warehouse for over three years, paying taxes and building a future here since my divorce last year.”
His two children are scared about the possibility of moving back to Iran, he said.
“My son barely reads Persian any more – he’s terrified of losing the only home he knows, Sweden. My daughter has fought hard to finish school, but this new spårbyte law could rip that away – she’d lose her graduation and have to restart years of education in Iran, a place she doesn’t even want to return to. She told me, ‘I won’t go back’, and it breaks my heart to see her so scared.”
The family would not only be hit emotionally if they were forced to leave Sweden – Goodarzi sold all his belongings when he fled Iran five years ago.
“We have nothing left there – if we’re forced out, we’ll be completely broken, emotionally and financially. I feel ashamed, like I’m failing them, even though I followed the rules. The Moderates brought in spårbyte years ago, and we trusted it to build our lives. Now they’re taking it away.”
The spårbyte route was originally brought in in 2008 under the Alliance coalition, made up of the Moderates, Christian Democrats, Liberals and Centre Party.
“This isn’t just about me – it’s about families, kids who’ve grown up here, losing their futures. Legally, this feels wrong. The principle of legitimate expectation means we should be able to rely on the laws we followed. Retroactive laws shouldn’t punish us for decisions we made in good faith. Sweden’s Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights protect family life and children’s rights – how is it fair to sacrifice my kids’ education and stability for a political game?”
‘I have to start my life all over again for the fifth time’
Another respondent, a software developer based in Gothenburg, felt like he was being forced to start over from scratch.
“I'm working in the IT industry as a consultant test engineer in one of the top companies. With this law, my right to extend my visa has been taken from me. I'm married. I have lived an ordinary life here in Sweden but now it seems like that doesn't matter at all.”
“The law tells me that Sweden is not a democratic country any more, and that they can play with people’s lives without taking consideration for the consequences and impacts on those lives. I feel abused and now I have to leave the country where I have lived for almost five years and set up a life, got married, and got a job. It’s just a disappointment that I have to start my life over again for the fifth time,” he said.
Another respondent, Hamid, has spent six years in Sweden, including time working as a nurse during the pandemic.
“I worked as a nurse during the Corona pandemic when many people were afraid for their lives, I took the risk of catching Corona in the hospital, I got Corona, I helped the Swedish society and now that the pandemic is over, they are telling me and my family that you have to leave! Where should we go? We have roots here after six years!"
He wasn’t necessarily against the decision to repeal the track changes law, but he said that it shouldn’t include people who had used the route in the past.
‘We used the law you made, we took a path you allowed us to take. We didn’t do anything wrong.’
Many of those who have been living in Sweden under this rule have partners and children who also stand to be expelled.
Hamid, the nurse quoted above, has children born in Sweden, who speak Swedish and have friends in the country.
“End this injustice. We used the law you made, we took the path you allowed us to take. We didn’t do anything wrong. We have a job. We have a house. We have a car. We have a life! We have a family, we have children! Don’t trample on the rights of our children!” he wrote.
Mahdi, another healthcare worker who has lived in Sweden for over seven years, was also concerned about how the change to the law will affect his family members.
“Me and my wife both have permanent jobs and we support our family without any benefits,” he wrote in perfect Swedish. “Our son is over 18, studying at upper secondary school and plans to start his own company. He’s well integrated into society.”
“Still, we risk being forced to leave, despite the fact that we contribute to society and are working to build up this country. Instead of deporting criminals the politicians want to hit back at those of us who work.”
He argued that the new rules will not only affect people working in Sweden but will have knock-on effects on other members of society too.
“This unfair law represents a threat to those who work within healthcare and those who need their help, like children and the elderly. It needs to go.”
‘I want to stay and contribute to Swedish society’
Mahshid Afshar, from Iran, is a trained midwife and was hoping to switch to a work permit if her ongoing asylum application is rejected.
“I have applied for asylum in Sweden and am currently in the appeal process. If my application is rejected, I am very concerned about being sent back to Iran due to the potential security and legal issues I might face there,” she wrote.
“Even if I manage to find a job in Sweden, I fear being detained at the airport or facing legal problems that would prevent me from returning to Sweden.”
Recent figures from Saco, the Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations, showed that Swedish healthcare is in need of midwives, with the situation expected to worsen over the next five years.
“With the abolition of this rule, my situation has become much more difficult, and I am unsure what my future holds,” said Afshar.
She also questioned the reasoning behind abolishing track changes, arguing that many of those affected just want to work and contribute to society.
“Why should people who are upgrading their education and skills be impacted by strict laws, while individuals involved in illegal activities remain in the country without issue? Why is the Swedish government considering removing people who are educated and employed in the country, especially when they have applied for asylum due to safety concerns in their home countries?” she wrote.
“These people want to stay and contribute to Swedish society by continuing their education and working honourably. Why has the government made this decision? Sweden is known worldwide for supporting human rights and gender equality, and as a woman who is educated, trained as a midwife, and ready to serve the community, why should I be affected by this law?”
The government said that the purpose of abolishing track changes was to create greater incentives for those with deportation decisions to leave Sweden. “[I]t is important that the new rules quickly have an impact,” it wrote in the bill about why it overruled recommendations from legal experts to include transitional rules for those already in Sweden.
‘This has destroyed everything I envisioned for my children’s future’
Vahid, an operations manager living in Uppsala, said it has destroyed “everything [he] had envisioned for [his] children’s future”.
“The abolition of spårbyte is not just an administrative change – it is a devastating blow to thousands who built their lives in Sweden with honesty and dedication,” he wrote.
“People who contributed to society, paid taxes, and followed the rules are now being told that their futures are uncertain, that their children’s stability and dreams no longer matter. This decision shatters lives and forces people into impossible choices. It is a cruel and unjust policy that undermines the very values of fairness and humanity that Sweden stands for.”
He also likened the policy to US President Donald Trump’s recent deportations of asylum seekers in the US.
“We criticised Donald Trump for his approach to deporting vulnerable migrants seeking asylum. Yet here in Sweden, our own government is now expelling individuals who have lived legally and honourably in this country, contributed to society, and upheld its values – all with a single vote. How is this any different?”
‘How will this affect our open applications for permanent residency?’
Many of the respondents to the survey have been in Sweden long enough to qualify for permanent residency. Now, they risk being forced to leave the country.
One respondent, a machine operator in Oskarshamn who wished to remain anonymous, has an ongoing permanent residency application for himself, his wife, and his two young children.
“After five years with a work permit I will probably not be able to extend permission for me and my family,” he said.
“We have open applications for permanent residency and long-term residence status in Sweden. Will this affect those?”
Another person who stands to be affected by the law is construction worker Hadi Bazrafshan, based in Gothenburg.
“I have put my youth, health, body and mind into work. I have a house, I have a job, I have a life,” he wrote.
“I started working in a construction company in 2017 with a permanent employment contract. I have paid taxes all these years and respected the people of this country and the regulations and laws of this country.”
Bazrafshan would have been eligible for permanent residency this month after more than four years working in Sweden. Now he is not certain if he will be able to apply at all.
“The immigration office told me that if you work for four years, they will give you permanent residency, but now they want to deport me. I have worked in this country legally for eight years and paid taxes,” he wrote.
“I am waiting for the answer from the immigration office... and I have not received an answer. My whole life and I will be destroyed if this happens,” he added.
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