Nämen hej!
I'm back as editor after seven months on maternity leave. Got back to my desk just as the snow melted here in southern Sweden and spring arrived on the scene, so returning to work feels like a new beginning in several ways.
There's a growing grassroots movement urging the government to add transitional rules to its upcoming citizenship reforms, but there hasn't yet been much talk in the Swedish media, although The Local has covered it extensively.
I've started reaching out to tech and business leaders to figure out whether or not the lack of transitional rules is being discussed in terms of having an impact on Sweden's ability to attract and retain talent.
A few declined to answer as they weren't actually up to speed on the issue yet (which I guess is a result of there not having been much coverage in the Swedish media about the impact of the reforms on the lives of would-be citizens), but I did manage to interview Johanna Nylander, the acting head of the Swedish Games Industry Association, and you can read the article here.
She also said that it hadn't become a major talking point yet in the games industry, but predicted that would change once the issue gets more attention, and certainly after the reforms come into force and start having an impact.
And she also said that she sees these reforms as part of a series of other reforms that were pushed through without transitional rules, which she believes will make Sweden less attractive to international talent.
Other migration news
The Local's Becky Waterton spoke to Patrick Gallen, spokesperson for Fair Transition, a campaign group calling for transitional rules in the new citizenship laws. Can they change the government's mind?
Few positions are more central on Sweden’s political right than the one Fredrik Kopsch holds as chief economist at Timbro. But as he launches a new book on deportations, Utvisad, which calls for an amnesty for integrated foreigners, he told The Local that his liberal views feel increasingly out of place.
Douglas Thor, leader of the Moderate Party’s youth wing, raised the issue of unfair deportations long before it became a top political issue. The Local's Richard Orange spoke to him about possible solutions.
That interview took place before Sweden's government announced in a press conference that it had an agreement with the far-right Sweden Democrats on a set of measures designed to stop the deportations of young adults and foreigners hit by the abolition of the track change law.
Here's what we know about the changes for so-called 'track changers' so far.
Sweden’s Migration Agency has for the first time approved applications for the government’s controversial 350,000 kronor “repatriation grant” – money handed out to refugees who wish to return to their home countries, a scheme criticised by the government’s own inquiry.
Staying on the topic of the Migration Agency, it looks set to drastically narrow the list of occupations proposed for exemption from the government’s new salary requirement for labour migrants, with only 25 jobs included in preparatory analysis obtained by The Local.
If the government decides to go through with a proposal to convert permanent residence permits into temporary permits, the Migration Agency predicts that processing all cases would take eight years.
What else did we do?
This week saw an important occasion for any fika lovers, as we saw the first Thursday in March ‒ also known as the unofficial national holiday of Småland, and the day you're meant to eat prinsesstårta.
We also wrote up the Riksbank's new guidelines for how Sweden's extremely digitalised society can cope if payment systems shut down ‒ including making sure you have enough cash at home to survive a week of cards not working.
Tax season is officially under way, so we've looked at what you should be aware of when declaring and shared how you can make sure you get your tax rebate by next month.
We posted a few stats-related articles. The first showed that six in ten doctoral students are still in Sweden three years after graduating. The second revealed that the number of unemployed graduates is rising while companies are also crying out for blue-collar workers.
Thanks for reading,
Emma Löfgren,
Editor, The Local Sweden
Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members which gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It's published each Saturday and with Membership+ you can also receive it directly to your inbox.
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