Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Sweden in Focus

This week: First month post-election ends with no government, breakthrough on ending teen deportations, a plan to help citizenship applicants hit retroactively by the new law, and a reminder of some of the best things about living in Sweden.

More than a month has passed since Sweden’s election, and we still don’t have a government. As we were recording this week's episode, the Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson lost a vote in parliament on installing her as prime minister. So what happens now?

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Emma Löfgren.

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Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Does losing parliament vote mean Andersson can't be Sweden's next PM?
• Moderates hit five-year high in Swedish post-election poll as Liberals slip

• How Sweden's 'new majority' can already move on deportations and citizenship
• All Swedish parties back emergency freeze on teen deportations
• Swedish MP seeks to apply old rules to all pre-June 6th citizenship applicants

• Remembering what I love about this country

Thumbnail photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

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This week’s Sweden in Focus Extra features an interview with AI consultant Anna Bärlund, who won an appeal last week against her Swedish citizenship rejection.

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On June 6th, Sweden rolled out major new citizenship reforms that included increasing the length of time that the partners of Swedish citizens have to live in Sweden before they become eligible for citizenship from three years to seven years.

What's more, the government didn't include transitional rules for those already in the queue despite the protestations of legal experts.

Consequently, many people who met the requirements when they applied are now being rejected. Until now Sweden's courts have sided with the Migration Agency, so when The Local's Emma Löfgren learned that Anna Bärlund had won her appeal, she was curious to find out more.

READ ALSO:

• AI consultant wins appeal under Sweden’s new citizenship rules

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This week: Tortuous efforts to form a government, plans to stop teen deportations, how new rules on family reunification could make life harder for university researchers, and what do The Local’s readers miss most when living in Sweden?

The four parties that claimed victory in the election are still a long way from forming a government, but there has been movement this week as they agreed to meet in person.

The parties will meet on Friday at a luxury hotel on the island of Lidingö, near Stockholm. But the plan is not to negotiate; instead they will be given a series of briefings on the problems facing Sweden.

The initiative came from the Centre Party, which has taken a lot of the blame for the lack of progress due to its insistence that the Left Party be denied ministerial posts in any coalition. But will it break the deadlock?

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Richard Orange.

Not yet a member of The Local? Join now with this special offer for podcast listeners.

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Four-party meeting set to test Sweden's government potential
• Magdalena Andersson once again given job of building new Swedish government

• What's in Sweden's new law on family reunification?
• Q&A: How will Sweden's new family immigration law affect researchers?
• Q&A: Who is affected by Sweden's new law on family immigration?

• Sweden's centre-left parties agree on halting teen deportations
• Sweden's migration minister pledges long-term solution to teen deportations

• 'Flavourful food and friendliness': What foreigners in Sweden miss from 'home'

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Gift Blessing is only 24 years old, but has already achieved an enormous amount. He is a rapper, an author, a newspaper columnist, and a poet.

He came to Sweden as a quota refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo as a young child. He broke through to public consciousness in 2021 with a bravura rap performance in Sweden's Got Talent (Talang).

Last month he was made Sweden's official reading ambassador with a mission to get young people reading.

And this week he is releasing an anthology of writing in English from writers from all around the world, but who are based in Stockholm.

This week's Sweden in Focus Extra features Gift Blessing in conversation with The Local's James Savage.

READ ALSO:

• In Sweden, there are only good, bad, ugly and evil immigrants – a recent long read for The Local by Faisal Khan, one of the contributors to the new anthology, 'Upon All the Living'.

Thumbnail photo by Maja Brand.

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Magdalena Andersson was acclaimed as the winner of Sweden’s election. Four parties – adding up to a majority – said they wanted her to be prime minister, and she was charged by the speaker with forming a government. Yet on Monday she threw in the towel.

The immediate pretext was the decision by the Left Party to support the re-election of speaker Andreas Norlén, a Moderate, over the Social Democrats’ own candidate.

But it followed two weeks in which Andersson had failed to get the Centre Party, Left Party and Greens to so much as take a cup of coffee with each other.

Now it’s up to the speaker to find someone else willing to have a go.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.

Not yet a member of The Local? Join now with this special offer for podcast listeners.

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson abandons attempt to form a government
• Strategy or spite? Why is Magda giving up on forming Sweden's next government?
• EXPLAINED: What needs to happen for Sweden to get a new prime minister?
• From the obvious to the unthinkable: Nine options for Sweden's government

• 'But what are the rules?': My interview with the Swedish Migration Agency's legal chief

Thumbnail photo: Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar and Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist take part in a party leader discussion hosted by RFSL during Stockholm Pride. Photo: Stefan Jerrevång/TT

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Sweden's government tightened rules for citizenship earlier this year without transitional rules for people who had already applied. The new rules require eight years of residency instead of five for most applicants, and would-be citizens must now pass language and civics tests.

The Migration Court in Malmö looked very closely recently at a case in which an applicant appealed for their right to be awarded citizenship according to the old rules. But the court ruled against the citizenship applicant in a blow to people who had waited in the queue and were hoping to become Swedish citizens under the rules that were in place at the time of application.

Some hope was restored however when the judge told The Local's Richard Orange that an appeal to a higher court could succeed.

In this week's episode you can hear an excerpt from the interview with Judge Löndahl we well as a studio discussion about the case and what happens next.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.

READ ALSO:

• Chief judge expects Swedish citizenship case to head to highest migration court
• INTERVIEW: 'The last word has not yet been said on Swedish citizenship'

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In this week's podcast: Electoral fraud allegations, complex coalition building, Candy Crush maker faces strike action, and how do Swedes say 'Digestive biscuit'?

Negotiations between the centre-left parties are ongoing after they won a wafer thin majority in last week’s election.

But now a voter fraud scandal involving the Left Party threatens to derail the whole process.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the election of a Left Party Member of Parliament in the Dalarna region. What do know about the allegations so far? And could the scandal lead to a revote?

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.

Not yet a member of The Local? Join now with this special offer for podcast listeners.

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Swedish Left Party leader finally speaks on election fraud allegations
• Swedish Election Authority criticises ballot paper system
• Newly elected MP steps aside amid Swedish electoral fraud probe

• EXPLAINED: What needs to happen for Sweden to get a new prime minister?
• Behind closed doors, Sweden's Left and Centre parties are still miles apart

• UPDATE: Strike threat lifted as Candy Crush maker signs collective agreement
• More unions join pending strike at Swedish Candy Crush maker
• Q&A: Why Swedish unions are launching a strike at the games maker King

Zara Larsson clip credit: Heart Radio

Thumbnail photo: Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar. Magnus Hjalmarson Neideman/SVD/TT

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In this week’s Sweden in Focus Extra, The Local's Mandy Pipher tells us about the bureaucratic nightmare surrounding her recent trip to Canada. 

Living in Sweden on a residence permit can be a risky business, not least given that almost everyone who does so has strong connections to another country and needs to travel frequently.

But if your residency card is in the process of being renewed while you're travelling, you risk being shut out of Sweden on your return.

In this episode, host James Savage talks to podcast regular Mandy Pipher about her struggles ahead of a recent trip home to Canada.

READ ALSO:

• OPINION: Yes, Swedish immigrants vote in their own interests – just like other voters

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This week: Final election results, far right blames immigrants for loss, and what the election outcome means for foreigners in Sweden.  

200,000 foreigners who have become Swedish citizens are to blame for Sweden’s tiny swing to the left – and in particular for the losses suffered by the Sweden Democrats. That’s the claim being made by the party as it grapples with a surprise electoral reverse in Sunday’s election.

But is it accurate to say that immigrants won this election for the Left?

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Richard Orange. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Kristersson resigns as PM after Sweden's centre-left opposition wins election
• Jimmie Åkesson reportedly plans break if Sweden Democrats enter opposition
• OPINION: The misunderstood Centre Party could learn from Ebba Busch
• 'It's tighter than I thought': How do foreigners in Sweden feel about the election?
• What does Sweden's unexpectedly close election result mean for foreigners?
• Swedish government scenarios: What happens now?

Thumbnail on Spotify: Social Democrat party leader Magdalena Andersson and party secretary Tobias Baudin celebrate with supporter on election night. Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/TT

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All three parties in the governing coalition increased their vote share while the Sweden Democrats lost ground.

On the left, meanwhile, the Social Democrats had a terrible election, while all the other parties had something to celebrate.

So why did the government parties do better than expected? What went wrong for the two biggest parties on the right and left?

And what is Sweden's next government likely to look like? 

Nicholas Aylott, associate politics professor at Södertörn University, gives his views in a conversation with The Local's Richard Orange.  

READ ALSO:

• Centre Party 'ready to start talks' with Social Democrats on new Swedish government

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In this week’s Sweden in Focus Extra our panelists try to make sense of a dizzying election night.

Sweden’s election threw up some major surprises on Sunday night.

The Liberals cleared the parliamentary threshold by a respectable margin having languished way beneath the four percent limit ever since the last election.

The Social Democrats are seemingly on course for their worst election ever – but leader Magdalena Andersson could still be headed for a second stint as Sweden’s prime minister.

The incumbent, Ulf Kristersson, meanwhile can breathe a sigh of relief as his Moderate Party regained its position as Sweden’s second biggest party.

Their rise came at the expense of the Sweden Democrats, whose vote share dropped for the first time ever in a national election.

But what does it all mean for the business of forming a new government?

Host James Savage is joined this week by podcast regulars Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.

READ ALSO:

• What does Sweden's unexpectedly close election result mean for foreigners?

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This week: Joy for Liberals as support swells, Sweden Democrats and Left Party hit by scandals, immigration in focus in TV debate, billionaires duel over which side to back, and poor school results throw a spanner in the works. 

Two of Sweden’s wealthiest people, Jacob Wallenberg and Martin Lorentzon, warned in the Financial Times this week about the risks of a left-wing government. Another, Robert Weil, shot back, saying he was more concerned about “an ethno-nationalist and authoritarian policy where the issue of migration is allowed to dominate at the expense of other issues and interests."

Meanwhile, the Liberals are poised to clear the 4 percent threshold they need to get into parliament, according to a new Novus poll showing that the party had leapt from 1.9 percent to 5.8 percent.

The poll follows others that showed significant gains for the Liberals after months in which the party has languished well under the threshold, leaving many commentators to all but write off their chances – and those of Ulf Kristersson’s government.

On Sunday we'll find out if the Prime Minister's coalition has done enough to claw their way back or if Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson gets a second bite at the top job. 

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Swedish election blog: Who will govern Sweden after September 13th?
• Swedish Liberal Party soars over parliamentary threshold in new poll
• Politics in Sweden: Immigration is on the agenda, but the debate is surreal
• Top Swedish investor slams Wallenberg's 'shameful' election scaremongering
• Russian partner of top Sweden Democrat accused of pro-Putin posts
• OPINION: Has Jimmie Åkesson been playing the Swedish media like a fiddle?

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Today's episode of Sweden in Focus Extra features an interview with Ludvig Aspling, migration spokesperson for the Sweden Democrats. 

This week we are turning a spotlight on the two parties most likely to shape Sweden’s immigration policy after the September 13th election.

Yesterday we heard from Ida Karkiainen, the Social Democrats’ immigration spokesperson. Today we’ll hear a conversation The Local's Richard Orange had with her counterpart from the Sweden Democrats, Ludvig Aspling. This interview took place in early August, a week before parliament voted on a so-called ‘safety valve’ to end teen deportations, which is one of the topics discussed in the episode. 

The Sweden Democrats were long a pariah in Swedish politics due to their Nazi roots. But as the largest party on the right in the 2022 election they emerged as one of the main architects of the Tidö agreement underpinning the government’s so-called paradigm shift on immigration over the past four years.

The shift has seen Sweden get much tougher on asylum immigration, work and residence permits and citizenship, with many of the policies directly impacting a lot of readers of The Local.

With that in mind, make sure to tune in to this week’s main episode of Sweden in Focus, which we expect to come out on Friday, for discussion and analysis of these interviews with the main immigration spokespeople for two of Sweden’s biggest rival parties.

So what can foreigners in Sweden expect if the right holds on to power after the election on Sunday and the Sweden Democrats receive ministerial posts for the first time, and how happy is Ludvig Aspling with how Sweden’s immigration landscape has changed over the last four years?

Tune in for the full interview. 

READ ALSO:

• 'If you came to work in Sweden because of relaxed citizenship rules, I don’t want you'

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This week’s episode of Sweden in Focus Extra features an interview with Ida Karkiainen, migration spokesperson for the Social Democrats. 

With the Swedish election just days away, the podcast this week features conversations The Local's Richard Orange had recently with two of the people in with a strong chance of becoming Sweden’s next migration minister: Ida Karkiainen of the Social Democrats and Ludvig Aspling of the Sweden Democrats.

First up: Ida Karkiainen. She is immigration spokesperson for the Social Democrats, and with her party tipped to lead Sweden’s next government we wanted to find out what direction Sweden would take on immigration under their leadership.

The Social Democrats have been broadly on board with many of the changes to migration law ushered in by the current government but they have also been critical of a number of issues, such at how the government has handled the teen deportation scandal and its failure to allow transitional rules for citizenship applicants.

Tune in for the full interview. 

READ ALSO:

• 'We don't want people who are integrated in Sweden to be forced to leave'
• Social Democrats plan huge inquiry to clean up Swedish immigration law

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This week: Right closing the gap on Sweden's left-wing opposition, party pledges explained, and could an extremist in Örebro get into the Riksdag? Oh, and fermented herring season is upon us.

A poll released this week showed the Sweden's government further closing the gap on the opposition. An election that looked like a foregone conclusion is now anything but. 

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Swedish opposition parties' lead collapses in shock new poll
• KEY POINTS: How party election pledges could affect foreigners in Sweden
• Politics in Sweden: The small-town demagogue aiming for a Riksdag spot

• What you need to know before trying Sweden's fermented herring

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This week: Sweden in shock after school sword attack, Sweden Democrats say no to tactical voting, Migration Agency weighs in on Brexit deportations, and what do foreign parents find strange about Swedish schools?

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Becky Waterton. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Liberal leader begs for tactical votes
• Early voting opens in Sweden – 18 days before election
• Sweden's right-wing bloc gains ground in new polls as election nears

• Second man held over fatal Fagersta school attack

• 'Ripped from a loved one': British-Swedish couple separated by Brexit deportation
• 'Brexit can hardly have come as a surprise': Sweden defends expelling Brits

• What foreign parents think of schools in Sweden

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For a recent article on the real-life effects of Sweden's immigration laws on families in Sweden, The Local's Mandy Pipher spoke with a Swedish-American couple who are both biological scientists and living in Uppsala.

The pair met a decade ago when Anna-Karin moved to Chicago for a postdoctoral position in immunology and flu vaccine research. Chris, also a biologist, was finishing his immunology PhD at the same university. Three years later, when Anna-Karin was moving back to Sweden for another work opportunity, the two were a committed couple, and they made plans for Chris to follow to Sweden as soon as possible.

By the summer of 2021, Chris was on his way to Sweden with a job offer from Karolinska, Sweden's prestigious medical research institute in hand.

But despite have a Swedish spouse, owning a home together in Sweden, speaking Swedish, and doing years of valuable work at one of Sweden's top research institutes, Chris was given just days to leave the country or risk being served with a Schengen area entry ban. 

READ ALSO:

• 'I felt betrayed by my country': Swedish scientist blasts treatment of US husband

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In this week's episode: Sweden Democrats campaign hard, Brexit deportations, citizenship tests and the "caterpillar from hell". 

With just over three weeks to go until Sweden’s election, the campaign is intensifying. But reaching voters is trickier than usual this year thanks to new EU limits on political advertising. This might explain an explosion of political posters, sponsored buses and creative political rallies.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Swedish bus operator removes anti-immigration ads after drivers call in sick
• Centre Party bets on Tidö bloc collapse to open door for new coalition

• Men with foreign names hit hardest by hiring bias in Sweden

• OPINION: The EU is betraying Brexit Brits in Sweden

• 'Caterpillar from hell' moth found in Sweden – but biologist says no need to panic

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Gustav Magnuson and Luisa Fernandez met in Costa Rica in 2018 when Gustav was there on a cycling trip of Central and South America. The two felt such a strong and immediate connection that Gustav never made it farther south on his cycling tour. Instead, he stayed with Louisa in San Jose.

A few years later the two were married and are now living in Stockholm with their one-year-old child.

In an interview with The Local's Mandy Pipher they explain how Swedish immigration law is affecting their family life and their peace of mind.

READ ALSO:

• 'I feel shame and rage': Immigration clampdown hits Swedes close to home

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This was the week in which the Swedish election campaign started to take some kind of shape. If the focus in 2022 was all crime and immigration, this time it looks like the economy is taking centre stage. What are the big differences between the parties, and what might all this mean for how the election develops?

We also look this week at revelations about spies’ activities in Sweden and we ask why Swedish authorities went public with this right now.

Also, Richard has been digging into teen deportations – and has discovered that the problem is more widespread that the Swedish media previously reported.

And is Hollywood actor Joel Kinnaman right to claim that Swedish attitudes to drugs are hopelessly out of date?

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Richard Orange. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Sweden's Centre Party won't support Social Democrats if they keep sick day promise
• Sweden's Moderates outline 70 billion kronor savings to fund election pledges
• Sweden's Social Democrats promise extra child benefits for holidays

• Sweden’s teen deportations were far more widespread than reported

• OPINION: Sweden needs politicians who stand up for sin

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Sweden in Focus is back! James Savage, Richard Orange and Mandy Pipher look chew over the latest from Sweden, including:

• Scandal hits Sweden Democrats and Left Party 
• Is tipping now the norm in Sweden?
• How do you eat a crayfish?
• The Sweden Democrats' Ludvig Aspling tells us why he thinks high-skilled immigrants don't care about citizenship.

Articles discussed in this episode:

'I feel shame and rage': Immigration clampdown hits Swedes close to home (interview with Gustav and Luisa)

'I felt betrayed by my country': Swedish scientist blasts treatment of US husband (Interview with Anna-Karin and Chris)

Sweden's opposition hope to vote down two-year wait for family reunion (interview with Annika Hirvonen)

Swedish Left Party MP apologises for 'accidental' support message to terrorist

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What does an American chef notice when he transplants himself to Sweden? John Klopson, known as Lost Chef in Sweden on Instagram and TikTok, talks to James Savage of his love for Swedish bread and dairy, and asks why Swedes use so much salt.

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How did Greta Gustafsson, a shop assistant born into an ordinary working family in Stockholm, transform into Greta Garbo, one of the greatest film stars of all time? And what was she really like as a person? Scott Reisfield, her great-nephew and biographer, tells James Savage that her Swedishness permeated her work and influence on Hollywood.

Link: https://scottreisfield.com/

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AI looks set to cause huge disruption to the world of work and to almost all aspects of our lives. Yet while Sweden is home to some leading AI companies, Swedish politicians are not rising to the major challenges that the technology poses, says author and AI expert Johan Falk to James Savage.

Read more:

Politics in Sweden: Why are Swedish politicians so silent on AI?

Johan Falk's English Substack

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The Local's weekly podcast with news from Sweden. This week, James Savage, Emma Löfgren and Mandy Pipher discuss a new poll of The Local's readers on the highs and lows of living in Sweden. We also talk about what the government hopes to achieve by slashing taxes on fuel and public transport, and on an interview we did with migration minister Johan Forssell.

Read more on the subjects we talk about in this episode:

Swedish migration minister: 'One day you're a Nazi, the next a left-wing activist' 

POLL: Foreign residents love Sweden, but are afraid they'll be forced out

Sweden becomes one of Europe's cheapest countries for petrol and diesel

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Sweden's Nordic editor Richard Orange was in Visby this week at the Almedalen political festival.

One of the many people he spoke to was Niels Paarup-Petersen, who is the migration, education and digitalisation spokesperson for the Centre Party.

On a walk through the city's medieval streets they discussed the chances of the government surviving after the election.

And what would a new government do about transitional rules for citizenship?

Also, are Sweden's political parties too wedded to incremental growth? Is it time to get a lot more ambitious in the age of AI?

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This week host James Savage and regular panelist Richard Orange record the podcast from Almedalen, the annual politics fest in Visby on the Baltic island of Gotland. 

They are joined for a lively politics conversation by Henrik Torehammar, a political commentator for the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper. 

Almedalen is sometime criticised as an event for Sweden's elites, but how elitist can any event really be in what Torehammar calls a "bicycle monarchy" famed for its flat hierarchies? 

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's Moderate Party is edging towards a disastrous election if polls are to be believed. Can he pull a result out of the fire at the eleventh hour? 

The opposition parties look poised to snatch power. But will some pretty major ideological differences act as a stumbling block for the Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson? 

And what issues are likely to dominate in the run-up to the September election. Immigration? Climate? Or could the rise of AI make its presence felt on the campaign trail? 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Why are Swedish politicians so silent on AI?
• Sweden Democrat leader takes aim at Social Democrats in key speech
• Sweden Democrats launch retro election campaign to make 'Sweden like Sweden again'
• More than half of voters think Sweden's government will lose election
• Stay on top of the Swedish election: How to follow The Local's coverage

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Earlier this year the Fair Transition campaign group tried to convince Swedish decision makers to introduce transitional rules for the citizenship reforms which came into force on June 6th.

Two months have now passed since the Swedish parliament voted against transitional rules by the smallest of margins after the far-right Sweden Democrats sent in two MPs who were supposed to be withheld from the vote.

So what now for the campaigners fighting on behalf of the 100,000 citizenship applicants waiting in the citizenship queue? 

The Local’s editor Emma Löfgren caught up with the group's spokesman Patrick Gallen to find out more about Fair Transitions plans as they prepare to mount a legal challenge in Sweden's migration courts.  

READ ALSO:

• Sweden Democrats accused of cheating to block transitional rules for citizenship

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This week we talk about the Swedish culture of long summer holidays and how to make the most of them.

Also: parliament has passed a law that will make it possible to revoke residence permits for “poor conduct”. Now that it has passed, will you live to regret that speeding fine?

Why is the government pressing ahead with plans for mandatory ‘language preschools’ for children who don’t speak good Swedish, despite an official investigator saying that the idea was legally and practically difficult, and possibly discriminatory?

And we look at how the government is finding it ever harder to get its agenda through parliament, as their plans to let 13 year olds go to jail were defeated.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Richard Orange. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Swedish parliament votes to revoke residency permits over 'poor conduct'

• Do I get a day off in Sweden at Midsummer?
• What's open and what's closed in Sweden during Midsummer?

• Sweden tightens residency rules, but opposition's challenge delays child detention bill
• Closed-doors agreement on Sweden's parliamentary pairing row collapses
• Swedish government to push ahead with mandatory language preschool despite legal warnings

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Sweden's teen deportations have affected young people who live in Sweden and whose parents have the right to be in Sweden, but who themselves no longer meet the requirements for a residence permit.

After sustained public outcry, media reporting and opposition pressure, Sweden's government announced relief measures on June 1st. 

These included the option for young adults who came to Sweden as dependents of their parents to no longer have to leave the country in order to apply for their own permits.

Once this law comes into effect in October, it will have a big effect on young people like 19-year-old Paola Claudio.

Despite having lived in Sweden with her family since she was 15 and being in full time studies at Stockholm's prestigious KTH University, she had to interrupt her studies at exam time in order to make a last minute round trip to Mexico or risk being issued with a deportation order.

The Local’s Mandy Pipher caught up with Paola Claudio in April to learn more about why she ended up travelling all the way to Mexico once she learned she risked being deported from Sweden. 

READ ALSO:

• Teenager makes round-trip to Mexico to avoid being deported from Sweden

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This week we talk about a security scandal surrounding Prime minister Ulf Kristersson.

And with the men's football World Cup kicking off this week, we assess Sweden's chances. 

We also discuss new restrictions on permanent residency and turbulence on the left side of Swedish politics.

And we have an interview with Liz Stopka from the American Swedish Institute about the history of Swedish emigration to the United States.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Emma Löfgren. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Sweden's Left Party removes local candidates who praised terror groups

• Opinion: Do Sweden's deportations have more parallels to the US than Swedes realise?

• How can you watch the 2026 men's football World Cup in Sweden?

• Swedish parliament approves bill to abolish future permanent residency for refugees

• When will Sweden next raise the work permit salary threshold?
• 
  

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Our sponsor this week is Sveriges Ingenjörer (Engineers of Sweden) 

Sign up here for their live Q&A session on working in Sweden

• June 16th session

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Two popular museums in Stockholm are at risk of closure because the government agency that owns the properties is now requiring the museums, which are also run by a government agency, to pay market rents that they can’t afford.

It’s currently unclear if Medelhavsmuseet and Östasiatiska museet will be able to stay open. 

Known in English as The Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities, and the East Asian Antiquities Museum, the two city centre museums are much-loved destinations for Stockholmers and visitors alike. 

To learn more about their importance, The Local’s Mandy Pipher caught up recently with Ninhursag Tadaros, an Assyriologist and curator who has previously worked with the Mesopotamian collection at Medelhavsmuseet.

READ ALSO:

• Why two iconic Stockholm museums might have to close

Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

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This week we look at the government’s solution to teen deportations, and we discuss the new citizenship law coming into force on Saturday, which also happens to be National Day.

We also talk about how unnerving it can be for foreigners when a young child switches to Swedish before you even properly understand it.

And for Membership+ subscribers, we talk about the Swedish community in the US and how they keep their Swedishness alive.

Host Richard Orange is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and James Savage. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Sweden's house speaker says no to emergency motion on transitional rules
• Sweden's government announces proposed solution for teen deportations
• Is the Swedish Migration Agency working overtime to fast-track citizenship cases?

• Citizenship-scandal Sweden Democrat MP quits over child pornography probe

• The hardest part of moving to Sweden? Suddenly not understanding my own child

• The migration crisis that divided Sweden and made it a better country

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A month ago the parties on the left were poised to win a vote on transitional rules for citizenship in the Riskdag after two independents MPs sided with the opposition. But the Sweden Democrats swung the vote in the government’s favour by getting two of their parliamentarians to breach a longstanding pairing agreement that compensates for planned absences.

This week we hear from the Green Party’s immigration policy spokesperson Anna Hirvonen, who has sent an emergency motion to the speaker of the Swedish parliament in a last-ditch attempt to force lawmakers to vote again on including transitional rules in Sweden’s new citizenship law for the more than 100,000 people waiting in the queue.

In her conversation with The Local’s Nordic editor Richard Orange the increasingly high-profile Hirvonen also talks about the chokehold she believes the far-right Sweden Democrats have on Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s Moderate Party, how the immigration debate is changing after protests over teen deportations, and how she thinks the parties on the left would go about undoing some of the hardline immigration policies brought in by the current government.

Swedish terms used in the interview: 

Utskottsinitiativ - an initiative proposed to a parliamentary committee 

Ventil - a "safety clause", in this case an immigration law amendment intended to bring an end to teen deportations. 

Kvittning - The Swedish parliament's long-standing pairing agreement on how to handle votes when members have to be absent for reasons such as illness.

Händelsemotion/akutmotion - An emergency motion submitted to the parliamentary speaker, in this case aimed at forcing a revote on the inclusion of transitional rules in Sweden's new citizenship law. 

Det ska löna sig att arbeta - Working should pay. A Moderate Party slogan about the value of work. 

Skärpta krav för anhöriginvandring - A legislative proposal on tougher requirements for family reunification

Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

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This week we are delving into the sort of jobs the Sweden Democrats could get if they join the government after the election.

With new rules for work permits coming in next week, we look at an unexpectedly short list of exempted professions. 

Is Sweden’s new status as a ‘smoke-free country’ really just be due to tobacco taxes and good public health campaigns?

Why is the government proposing to halve the cost of a monthly card for regional public transport from July 1st until the end of the year? 

And we look at how end-of-term gifts to Swedish teachers have become so extravagant in some cases that a few Swedish councils have now banned the practice altogether.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Richard Orange and Emma Löfgren. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Sweden Democrats aim for half of cabinet seats in a right-wing government
• Sweden to cut monthly public transport tickets by 50 percent in all regions

• 'Incredible' milestone reached as Sweden becomes a smoke-free country

• 'It's a gut punch': Time running out for 100,000 applicants as Sweden's citizenship deadline nears
• What Sweden's new higher salary threshold means for work permit applicants

• Swedish municipalities (at least some) ban end-of-term gifts for teachers

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With just two weeks left until Sweden introduces a new citizenship law, how are applicants who are stuck in the queue feeling about their chances of becoming Swedish?

And what do they have to say about the government’s decision not to introduce transitional rules, meaning that they’ll be judged according to tougher new criteria, including longer residency, as well as language and knowledge requirements?

Around 100,000 applicants are currently waiting to become naturalised Swedes and The Local Sweden’s editor Emma Löfgren recently caught up with some of them.

In this week’s episode we hear from four of the people Emma spoke to: Victoria Heisler, Sigrid Holmwood, Volodymr Rubinets, and Ffion McEvoy. 

READ ALSO:

• All The Local's coverage of new Swedish citizenship rules

Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

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This week we ask whether moves to stop teen deportations could help those young people who have already left, as well as discussing all the latest on the citizenship voting scandal. 

We also look at whether proposals to liberalize Systembolaget could actually lead to real change.

And why has Sweden’s new order for warships gone to France, not Sweden’s own Saab?

For membership+ subscribers we look at whether a new economic partnership between India and Sweden could help Indians wanting to move here.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Richard Orange and Mandy Pipher. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Swedish MPs quash revote on transitional citizenship rules
• Swedish opposition welcomes Sweden Democrat MP's apology over citizenship vote
• Swedish opposition promises citizenship transition rules if it wins election
• Sweden Democrats join U-turn on letting to-be-deported teenagers stay in Sweden

• 'Stockholm is going to be like Paris or Copenhagen'
• Sweden Democrat leader says Systembolaget should be open on Sundays

• Sweden to buy four new frigates from France in major defence deal

• Sweden and India forge strategic partnership to double economic exchange

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This week’s episode is sponsored by SULF, the Swedish Association of University Teachers and Researchers.

SULF was instrumental recently in securing residence permit exemptions for academics and is consistently working hard to be as accessible as possible for English speakers in Sweden.

So if you are a PhD student or university teacher in Sweden you’ll find SULF a great place to meet like-minded people who are fighting hard for academic freedom and the rights of researchers here. 

You can find out more on the English-language section of the SULF website. 

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The repercussions of the Sweden Democrats' decision to defy Swedish parliamentary convention to get new citizenship rules passed without transitional rules are continuing to be felt.

But what are the long-term consequences of the Sweden Democrats' willingness to break the rules governing Swedish politics? And could there be a price for Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's moderate party?

Moderate veteran Mikael Odenberg, a former defence minister and former group leader for the party in parliament, thinks there could. In this interview with Richard Orange, he explains why.

READ ALSO:

• Former defence minister accuses Sweden Democrats of 'sabotaging' citizenship vote

Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

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This week we discuss the talk about whether the rule of law is threatened in Sweden, as many lawyers are now arguing. 

We also ask why things got heated in the Riksdag this week.

Why are some museums saying they’re being forced out of Stockholm?

And we finish up with a tricky quiz on Swedish society.  

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Mandy Pipher. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• More than 1,800 lawyers warn rule of law being dismantled in Sweden

• Sweden Democrat MP accused of threatening behaviour in parliament

• QUIZ: Can you pass The Local's mock Swedish citizenship test?

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This week’s episode is sponsored by SULF, the Swedish Association of University Teachers and Researchers.

SULF was instrumental recently in securing residence permit exemptions for academics and is consistently working hard to be as accessible as possible for English speakers in Sweden.

So if you are a PhD student or university teacher in Sweden you’ll find SULF a great place to meet like-minded people who are fighting hard for academic freedom and the rights of researchers here. 

You can find out more on the English-language section of the SULF website. 

__

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Sweden is introducing a stricter new citizenship law from June 6th. But there will be no transitional provisions for the 100,000 people waiting in the citizenship queue.

That’s unless opposition politicians manage to force lawmakers to vote again on transitional rules after the previous vote was marred by cheating accusations at the end of last month, as The Local was first to report.

Last week our reporter Mandy Pipher caught up with Åsa Holmes, the head of the Swedish Migration Agency’s citizenship unit in Gothenburg to find out how the agency is planning to assess cases after the June changes come into force. And will applicants be able to get a refund now that Sweden has moved the goal posts?

READ ALSO:

• How will the Swedish Migration Agency handle citizenship cases after June 6th?

Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

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This week we discuss the aftershock from last week’s parliamentary vote on stricter citizenship rules.

We’ve got an interview with Åsa Holmes from the Migration Agency on how the new rules will be applied — and what it means for people already in the system.

We also look at the new civics test for citizenship.

For Membership+ subscribers, we look at the TISUS exam — which now counts towards the language requirement for citizenship.

And finally we look a why – if you notice a Swedish person staring at you and then looking away – they’re not necessarily being rude.

Host Richard Orange is joined this week by panelists Becky Waterton and Mandy Pipher. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• 'Total deadlock': No end in sight to Sweden's parliamentary pairing chaos
• No decision made about transitional rules at committee meeting
• How will the Swedish Migration Agency handle citizenship cases after June 6th?
• Sweden's first citizenship test to be held on August 15th
• How likely is a revote on transitional rules for Swedish citizenship?

• Why that Swede glaring at you on the street might be trying to be polite

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Our sponsor this week is Sveriges Ingenjörer (Engineers of Sweden) 

Sign up here for their live Q&A sessions on working in Sweden

• May 12th session
• June 16th session

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Public opinion in Sweden is increasingly at odds with the government's restrictive immigration policies, a new survey has found.

The study, commissioned by non-profit organisation Globeknot and carried out by Novus, found that 81 per cent of respondents thought that foreigners who follow the law and support themselves should be allowed to stay in Sweden.

The Local's Richard Orange caught up with Globeknot's Andreas Bergh, who is also Associate Professor of Economics at Lund University, to find out more about the survey.

READ ALSO:

• Sweden's migration crackdown 'goes beyond what most voters want'

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Our sponsor this week is Sveriges Ingenjörer (Engineers of Sweden) 

Sign up here for their live Q&A sessions on working in Sweden

• May 12th session
• June 16th session

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Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

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This week we spend most of the episode looking at Wednesday’s controversial vote in parliament to pass stricter citizenship laws.

We also talk about King Carl Gustaf’s 80th birthday celebrations, Sweden’s bonfire night and May Day celebrations.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• As it happened: Swedish MPs vote through citizenship reforms without transitional rules
• Sweden's parliament rejects transitional rules for citizenship bill
• Sweden Democrats accused of cheating to block transitional rules for citizenship
• Swedish opposition demand revote on transitional citizenship rules
• 'I feel scammed': Foreigners in Sweden react to controversial citizenship vote

• Walpurgis Night: Why are Swedes dancing around bonfires?
• Where are the best places to celebrate Valborg in Sweden in 2026?
• Why is May 1st a public holiday in Sweden?

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

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Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

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Sweden is heading to an election in less than five months and the left of centre parties are leading consistently in the polls.

But the question everyone's asking i:, could this disparate group of parties form a government?

Will the Centre Party or the Left Party drop some of their red lines to make this happen? And what could the alternatives be? 

Richard Orange caught up with Nicholas Aylott, Associate Professor of Political Science at Södertörn University in the south of Stockholm, to ask him what might happen. 

READ ALSO:

• Will there still be a left-wing and right-wing bloc come September?

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This week we look at a new survey in which skilled workers say what they like most and least about Sweden.

We ask which parts of some of Sweden’s big cities are best for foreigners.

And we look at whether the next government could unite parties of the left and right.

And in exclusive material for Membership+ subscribers we look at whether your flights home could be disrupted this summer as fuel costs soar.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Richard Orange. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Work-life balance and family chief draw for high-skilled workers in Sweden

• 'Safe, clean and peaceful': The Malmö districts foreigners favour the most
• 'An international hub': These are the best districts for foreigners in Gothenburg
• 'Open-minded and cosmopolitan': The Stockholm districts foreigners like the most

• How would you like The Local to cover the Swedish election?

• Flight cancelled or delayed? Here are your rights in Sweden

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

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Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

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• For new members: Get Membership+ 

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Many people might think that someone working on a PhD funded by the Swedish state at a Swedish university would get an easy ride from migration authorities.

That hasn’t been the case for Fahima Ayub Khan, a linguistics and cognitive science researcher studying for a PhD at the University of Gothenburg.

She was denied a permit renewal and issued a deportation order just as she entered the final stretch of her doctoral studies.

In this week’s episode of Sweden in Focus Extra, she tells The Local's Mandy Pipher about how her battle with Swedish bureaucracy has affected her life.

READ ALSO:

• 'We are not bonded labourers': University researcher fights Swedish deportation order

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This week we ask how new curbs on permanent residency will hit immigrants.

As the Wallenberg family rescues a groundbreaking green steel project in northern Sweden, we examine whether the Swedish green transition has reached a fork in the road.

We also have a look at what goodies the government is showering over the electorate in the last budget before the election.

And in exclusive material for Membership+ subscribers we discuss Swedes’ favourite word – and we ask if our panelists can come up with a better one.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Emma Löfgren. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• EXPLAINED: Who is affected by Sweden's law phasing out permanent residency

• KEY POINTS: Sweden's spring budget bill in less than a minute

• Swedish steel startup Stegra to receive 1.4 billion euro investment

• Is lagom really the best word in the Swedish language?

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Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.

Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

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• For new members: Get Membership+ 

Read more about Membership+ in our help centre.

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Applicants for work permits in Sweden will soon have to earn 90 percent of the median wage, or just over 33,000 kronor a month, to qualify.

But some key professions will be exempted from the requirement. No decision has yet been made on exactly which jobs will be exempted, but The Local recently obtained lists of the professions provided to the government by the Migration Agency for consideration.

The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, a lobby group representing Swedish businesses, has long sought to maintain Sweden's liberal work permit rules.

In this week’s episode, The Local's Richard Orange catches up with Amelie Berg, the organisation's expert on immigration and labour mobility issues, to get her take on the latest updates. 

READ ALSO:

• Swedish businesses call for work permit exemption list 'as soon as possible'

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This week we ask whether the new deal between Ulf Kristersson and Jimmie Åkesson is a capitulation or a masterstroke by the prime minister. And what a Sweden Democrat migration minister might mean.

We look at what it's really like inside one of Sweden’s deportation centres – and why being articulate might lead to you getting forced onto a deportation flight earlier than you’d like.

And we examine how high-skilled workers are reacting to the newest migration laws.

In exclusive material for Membership+ subscribers we discuss whether the Swedish culture of shielding kids from competition is progressive or constraining.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Richard Orange.

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Our sponsor this week is Sveriges Ingenjörer (Engineers of Sweden) 

Sign up here for their live Q&A sessions on working in Sweden

• April 16th session
• May 12th session
• June 16th session__

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Sweden Democrats to be in charge of immigration in a future right-wing government

• Two hours inside Sweden's controversial detention hub for to-be-deported migrants
• Swedish police asked to speed up deportation of 'intelligent and articulate' software engineer

• A ban on being Swedish? Minister rails against France's new snus ban

• 'We can go elsewhere': Skilled workers question future in Sweden over citizenship reforms

Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

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Sign up here for their live Q&A sessions on working in Sweden

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How are constant changes to Sweden’s immigration rules, most recently the citizenship rules, affecting tech workers? 

What does Sweden need to do to stay attractive to international talent?

And how is the AI shift affecting workers at Spotify?

In this week’s episode, The Local Sweden’s editor Emma Löfgren speaks with Péter Tóth, who is a data engineer and chairperson of Spotify Workers Unionen.

READ ALSO:

• Swedish union leaders warn 'haphazard' citizenship reforms could harm international reputation

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