SOCRATES INTENSIVE PROGRAM, LISBOA 2005 UMEÅ UNIVERSITET; SWEDEN

Social policy and vulnerable groups - Immigrants as a cultural, social and politic challenge in Sweden

Hanna Hillström Sofia Nilsson Anita Rönnqvist Louisa Sesti Karin Törnqvist

REGISTER 1.1 The situation of immigrants in Sweden…………………………………………..2 1.1.1 History………………………………………………………………….……2 1.1 2 .The authorities……………………………………………………………....2 1.1.3 Numbers and reasons of immigration……………………………………..…2 1.1.4 Swedish refugee policy………………………………………………...… …3 1.1.5 How it works in Sweden……………………………………………….…. ...3 1 2. Attitudes in Sweden……………………………………………………………..3 1.3. Problems……………………………………………………………………… ..4 1.3.1 The Labour market………………………………………………………... ..4 1.3.2 Financial support…………………………………………………………….4 1.3.3 Feelings of exclusion………………………………………………………...5 1.3.4 Housing segregation ………………………………………………………...5 2. The advantages and disadvantages of immigration in Sweden…………………...5 3. The Swedish system regarding immigration……………………………………...6 4. Recent development in Sweden…………………………………………………..7 References

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1.1 The situation of immigrants in Sweden 1.1.1 History Sweden has been characterised by large waves of migration for a long time. From being a country of emigration at the end of the 19th century, Sweden has more and more become a country of immigration. During the 1950s and 60s, labour immigrants were in a majority. They came mostly from Scandinavia, Germany, Austria and Italy, but also Greece and former Yugoslavia. In the 1970s a big number of family related immigrants came to Sweden, but also refugees from Indo-China, Chile, Argentina, Lebanon etc. 1 The last 25 years have been dominated by people seeking asylum in Sweden, mostly of refugee reasons. The pattern of immigration has showed large variations, depending on the demand for labour in the Swedish industry (labour immigrants) and the situation in the world (refugees). But not to forget the political changes throughout history. Today there are very little numbers of labour immigrants, and those who come to Sweden to work are often high educated people. 2 1.1.2 The authorities The Migration Board is Sweden’s central government authority for aliens affairs. That include ? permits for people visiting and settling in Sweden ? the asylum process, from application to a residence permit or to a voluntary return home ? citizenship affairs ? helping out with voluntary return migration ? international work in the EU, UNHCR and other collaborative bodies ? ensuring that all the relevant public authorities work together satisfactorily. The Swedish Migration Board is responsible for migration, refugee, voluntary return and citizenship issues. The Government and the Parliament lay down guidelines for migration policy. 3 1.1.3 Numbers and reasons of immigration During the year of 2003 a total of 46 857 people were granted residence permits in Sweden, 6 460 of them as refugees or on other protective grounds and for humanitarian reasons. 942 persons were brought to Sweden within the so-called refugee quota. Residence permits were granted to 24 553 people because of family ties, permits to visiting students to 5 509 people and permits on grounds of adoption to 782 people. Residence permits under the EU/EEA agreement were issued to 9 234 people. The largest group consisted of citizens of EES/EU, following by Serbia and Montenegro (5 305 persons). The second and third largest groups came from Somalia (3 069 persons) and Iraq (2 700 persons). Sweden, traditionally a very open country for those seeking asylum, began to restrict asylum after the dramatic rise in asylum seekers in 1994, when 78,987 immigrants applied for asylum. So it has been harder to come to and stay in Sweden. Only 20% of those who come are permitted to stay. Another reason is the Dublin-regulation that says that a refugee doesn’t have the right to choose what country to go to. He or she has to go to the first country he or she comes to, and because of Sweden’s geographical location most 1

Lundh, C & Ohlsson, R (1999) Ibid. 3 http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/3083 2

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refugees don’t come to Sweden at first. Because of that the number of immigrants fell to 32,486 at the year of 1995. 4 1.1.4 Swedish refugee policy The United Nations (UN) estimates that there are approx. 25 million people in flight in various parts of the world today. Most of these people seek protection in or around their native country. The reasons why people flee their countries are the same today as they always were – to seek a decent existence and an escape from war, poverty and oppression. Sweden is also among those countries, which annually offer to take in a certain number of refugees in need of a safe country of domicile. They are usually selected in cooperation with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR. Often, these refugees come directly from a refugee camp. Refugees selected in this way are called quota refugees. Sometimes, the Migration Board has joined with a number of local authorities in providing a special ‘Sweden Programme’ for the selected refugees befo re they are moved to Sweden. In this programme the refugees are given information about Sweden and about various aspects of community life here. They are also taught a number of fairly simple Swedish words and phrases. Sweden has been taking in quota refugees since 1950. 1.1.5 How it works in Sweden A visa is a preliminary permit that everybody needs to enter and stay in Sweden for a short period of time. But together with the other EU countries, Sweden has decided that the citizens of certain countries do not require entry visas. This means they can enter Sweden and stay here for three months without a visa. The citizens of all other countries require visas in order to enter Sweden. When immigrants come to Sweden they must first go to the Immigration board where they are helped with residence permits. Then they must go to the local Refugee and immigration office. The local office take care of the immigrants and see that they learn to fill in forms by themselves, and give them information and introduce them to the Swedish society and they also help them with school, and many other things such as enrolling in. 5

1.2 Attitudes in Sweden Today Sweden is a multicultural society with about 12 percent of Sweden's 8.8 million residents born outside Sweden. It’s a fairly uncontroversial statement that the labour of those immigrants who arrived in Sweden before 1970 helped increased the production and prosperity of Sweden. Attitudes against foreign people were perceived as quite good and friendly. Swedish welfare state needed their help and the work they did. The attitudes towards immigrants have nowadays changed in different ways. Today the majority of immigrants are refugees and not “labour- immigrants”. The great influx of refugee-immigrants took place mostly during the difficulties of labour market of the 1990s with generally high unemployment. The result of this is that few of those refugees have been able to support themselves. Therefore they have so far contributed mainly to the debit side of central and government budgets. Some people see them as a burden for the society and can’t see beyond that some of the immigrants get economical support from the state. Other people complain about how the immigrants are coming to Sweden to “steal” their jobs, a statement that in most cases are false. Generally speaking people have tended to focus on the immediate negative

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http://www.migrationint.com.au/news/finland/oct_1996-10.asp http://www.migrationsverket.se

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social and economical consequences of immigration while the positive consequences have revealed themselves after a long term. As we address further in the text, people from foreign countries have a hard time getting a job in Sweden and the unemployment figures have reached an alarming level, especially for non-European immigrants. Conscious or unconscious discrimination is some of the reasons for the division of labour market and exclusion of newly arrived refugees and immigrants from employment.

1.3 Problems 1.3.1 The Labour market The differences in employment between people born in Sweden and people born in other countries are prominent. In 2003, 75% of people born in Sweden had a job compared to 60% of people from foreign countries. 6 For how long a person has lived in Sweden plays a big role when it comes to labour market entrance. Studies show that the differences of labour- market participation between Swedish born inhabitants and immigrants are reduced after spending 16 years in Sweden. Former reports have showed how difficult it can be to get a job when you have a foreign name. Other factors that are considered when employing someone are the personal che mistry and the individual’s social capability. Swedish people often lack knowledge of foreign educations and experiences. This can lead to the employer rejecting all that is different to what he or she is used to. Individuals from other countries are more vulnerable to changes in the business cycle as they are considered a spare work-face at the general labour market. They are the first to get fired when times are bad even if they have been employed as long as their Swedish colleagues. 7 People born in Asia and Africa have the lowest numbers in employment regardless how long they have lived in Sweden, what kind of education they possess, their age or sex. Today there are 30 000 well educated people from foreign countries who are unemployed or working with something they are “too educated” for. For example there’s a lot of people working with baking pizza when they have academic degrees as doctors or lawyers. People born in other countries are often educated in science, technique and health. These subjects will be asked for in the near future since people born in Sweden instead of having knowledge in scientific are more likely to work with occupations that has to do with pedagogy and social-subjects. The problem for Sweden is that immigrants often emigrant again, this will lead to that Sweden loses well-educated labour. 1.3.2 Financial support Since more people from other countries are more likely not to be a part of the Swedish labour market they are also more likely to be in need of financial support from the state. In Sweden you can get enough money to pay the rent, provide food and other essentials. Even though you get support it’s not enough to live a good life. A study made in 2003 show that 6% of all Swedish households get financial support from the state. Of people over age eighteen, 2% of native Swedes and 11% of the immigrants get support. This study is exclusive the support the refugees are getting. 8 6

http://www.integrationsverket.se http://www.integrationsverket.se 8 http://www.socialstyrelsen.se 7

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1.3.3 Feelings of exclusion A lot of foreign people experience that they’re not a part of the Swedish society. This increases when they can’t get a job that’s equivalent to their education or maybe not a job at all. Studies show that especially young people feel discriminated and left out. 9 These feelings lead to disbelief in the Swedish society and even bigger differences between people. Some individuals that feel they’re not a part of Sweden stop to care. There are gangs, especially among young people in the big cities, who live by their own rules with no respect for the Swedish law and order. 1.3.4 Housing segregation Most of the new immigrants move to so called million programme areas in the suburbs of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo. The million programme has become ethnic and economical segregated areas. Swedish people seem to live there for a short while, and move as soon as they can afford to buy an apartment or house in another living area. For immigrants the choice of housing or living areas are limited as long as they are outside the labour market and don’t have the financial resources for other housing alternatives than a rental contract. This has become a problem since these areas tend to be vulnerable in many ways. It becomes harder for these people to integrate in the Swedish culture and way of living. A lot of the people living here are poor and feel socially left out. Studies show that you’re more likely to end up in crime and starting to abuse alcohol or drugs if you live in a socially vulnerable area. 10 You’re also more likely to perform badly in school, which can lead to unemployment in the future and make you depend on support from the state. Living a life in crime and abuse can also make you feel more and more like an outsider instead of part of the Swedish society. All this problems are closely connected to each other and make a vicious circle that seems impossible to stop.

2. The advantages and disadvantages of immigration in Sweden Increased immigration to Sweden mean that more people are available for the labour market and this has a positive effect on the Swedish economy and the welfare system. Although there are difficulties for the immigrants to find work today there are still working areas where there is a demand for people. One of the reasons for this is that the labour market has become more service oriented, which me ans higher and specific demands on labour force. Employer therefore puts high demands on Swedish language skills, cultural and social capital. This puts high pressure on immigrants when they apply for work and have to compete with inhabitants that speak Swedish fluently and who master the Swedish cultural norms and ways of interacting. You cannot ignore the fact that it exists discrimination on the labour market, which means that people from other ethnical and cultural backgrounds have more difficulties find a work. 11 The demographic development shows that Swedish population is getting older an older, which requires more people in the labour market. Therefore the immigrants play an important role because they can provide the Swedish society with a new and younger workforce.

8 http://www.integrationsverket.se 10 http://www.cbu.dataphone.se/flyktingbarnteamet/migration.htm 11 Rauhut, D and Blomberg, G (2003)

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The Swedish integration politic sets the idea of the multicultural society as a main goal for Swedish development. The vision is to embrace people from different ethnical and cultural backgrounds; it will enrich the Swedish society with new knowledge and experiences. This vision would lead to creating a society that is based upon the principles of tolerance and respect. The integration politic is not about that the immigrants should renounce their own cultural identity. The vision is to make the immigrants cultures a part of the Swedish culture. This will lead to a less conformist society where there is room for new impulses. The integration politic has so far been a failure considering the main goal. A fact is that most immigrants have no t become a part of or integrated in the Swedish society and labour market. As a consequence of this segregation the immigrants have lower economic standard in comparison with the Swedish population. In the big cities in Sweden it is not unusual that immigrants and the Swedish population live in separate areas. When many immigrants move to a certain area you can see the tendency that the Swedish population move to another area. 12

3. The Swedish system regarding immigration In Sweden the responsibility for the refugees and immigrants is divided between the state and the local authorities. The local authorities have the coordinating responsibility to give the refugees an introduction to the Swedish society. Sweden has signed The United Nations Refugee convention. This means that Sweden must give the persons who are refugees according to the convention asylum. You are a convention refugee if you have reason to be afraid of pursuit in your home country because of: • • • •

Your race Your nationality Because you are part of a particular group in the society Because of your religious or political view

According to Swedish law a person who are not a convention refugee can also get asylum under certain conditions. In the Swedish law these persons goes under the name “ in ne ed of guardian”. “In the need of guardian” is everyone who has left his or her home country and have: • • •

Strong reasons to be afraid of for example the death penalty or torture A need of shelter because of war or environment disaster in their home country Are afraid of pursuit because of sex or homosexuality13

People with humanitarian reasons can also get asylum in Sweden, for example if the person is suffering from a life threatening disease and can not get the treatment needed in his or hers home country. The immigration board has the economic responsibility for the asylum seekers when they arrive. That means that they give out allowance (71 Swedish kronor/day adult) that should be used for food, clothes and hygienic products etc. The immigration board provides this allowance. 14

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Holgersson, L (2004) Sveriges Rikes Lag (2004) 14 Holgersson, L (2004) 13

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When a permit to stay is granted, the refugee (in the case of refugee-status) is entitling to a municipal financial support for an introduction period of two years. The state subsidises the cost of receiving refugees and their relatives and for the introduction into the community. The main part of the subsidy is a standard payment, and for the local authority to receive this, an individual introduction plan for the person involved is required. The individual introduction plan contains information about the necessary actions that must take place to make it possible for the immigrant to integrate into the Swedish society. Among important tasks, is to learn the Swedish language and therefore participate in Swedish language course training, and also to learn about Swedish society, the legal system and the rights and obligations between society and individuals. Swedish society and the local authorities have to arrange a language course for all immigrants. The introduction plan should help the immigrants to provide for themselves and to be a part of the Swedish society. Municipal introduction schemes for newly arrived immigrants need to be developed and improved. The majority of municipalities do not offer sufficient individual introduction and there are shortcomings in the collaboration between municipalities, job-centres and other bodies involved in the introduction. Also after completed introduction, there are few immigrants that learned the language sufficiently and very few have entered the labour market and are able to support themselves financially. The children of the immigrants have the legal right to participate in school education. They also provide a place to stay and a day activities. 15

4. Recent development in Sweden The Schengen Agreement is a further development of the free movement for people within the countries in the European Union, which are a part of The Schengen Agreement. The countries that participate until present dates in the agreement are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. The guiding principles for The Schengen Agreement is that all persons legally present in the Schengen zone can move about freely. That means when crossing international boundaries such as airports and seaports, there is no need to show passport. People from countries that are not a part of The Schengen Agreement may enter The Schengen zone on condition that they have a passport and a valid visa. These visas are valid in all Schengen countries and you are allowed to move freely within the zone for three months. 16 However asylum seekers are not allowed to travel freely between the Schengen countries. According to The Dublin convention refugees must seek asylum in the first safe country they enter and therefore are not allowed to travel to another country and apply for asylum. 17 However The Schengen Agreement make The Dublin convention difficult to apply, because of the fact that the boarders are open within the zone. 18 The Schengen Agreement has effected the Swedish immigration policy in the way that it now possible to travel to Sweden or the Swedish border and apply for asylum. This includes persons from Schengen Agreement countries, other European Union countries that have entrance to The Schengen Agreement and persons from countries outside the European Union who has entered the Schengen zone. This has made that more persons are applying for asylum in Sweden; it has increased with 48% since Sweden joined The Schengen Agreement. 19 15

Ibid www.swedenembnl.org/pages/consular/schengen.htm 17 www.migrationsverket.se 18 Utrikesdepartementet (2002) 19 Ibid 16

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This has resulted in an increased workload for the Swedish immigration board. This means that every single application of permanent residence takes more time to handle and the person must wait longer for the final decision. It also has a negative economical effect because more means are needed. There are more cases to handle and more people need a place to stay and are entitled to compensation for their basic needs. For people who are from a country that is not a part of The Sche ngen Agreement has on the other hand more difficulties entering the zone. A factor that has made it more difficult is increased demands on valid visa and other personal documents. This means that people who have economical assets and contacts have a bigger possibility to enter The Schengen zone. On the other hand once you legally have entered you are allowed to move freely within the zone. Therefore you can enter one country and than travel to a country of your own choice and apply for asylum there, even though you are not allowed to according to The Dublin convention. 20 This development has resulted in that the illegal immigration has increased because it has become more difficult for immigrants from countries outside Schengen to enter the zone. The immigrants that are in the biggest need of help are the ones who are effected in a negative way. What Sweden can gain from a stronger unification of European social policy is that if every country in the union has the same terms for immigration, such as reception, process of the asylum cases and conditions for housing. It would lead to an even responsibility concerning the reception of the refugees. For Sweden that could lead to fewer people who apply for asylum and therefore Sweden would save economical resources. Sweden has a well-developed welfare system and the law state that immigrants should have the same rights as the Swedish population to take part of that system, for example health- and medical care. A part of the welfare system is the reception of the immigrants, for example housing and courses in Swedish and the thought is that this will contribute to integration in to the Swedish society. We believe that this idea of integration play an important part for immigrants because it makes it easier for them to become a part of the society, for example become a part of labour market. A more unified political view about how the welfare system should be organised could lead to a decreased standard of the Swedish welfare system. The Swedish welfare system is quite unique in Europe today and if you look at the recent tendencies both in Europe and Sweden it goes towards more privatisation. We believe that this could lead to a more segregated society in form of different qualities for the welfare systems services.

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Ibid

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REFERENCES Ds 2002:64 ”Sveriges tillträde till det operativa Schengensamarbetet –en migrationspolitisk utvärdering ett år senare”, XBS Grafisk Service AB Holgersson, L (2004) “Socialpolitik och socialt arbete- Historier och ideér”, Norstedts Juridik: Stockholm Lundh, C & Ohlsson, R (1999) “Från arbetskraftsimport till flyktinginvandring”, SNS Förlag: Stockholm Rauhut, D & Blomberg,G (2003) ”Ekonomiska effekter av integration och invandring”, ITPS: Östersund Sveriges Rikes Lag (2004), Thomson Fakta AB: Stockholm http://www.cbu.dataphone.se/flyktingbarnteamet/migration.htm http://www.integrationsverket.se http://www.migrationsverket.se http://www.socialstyrelsen.se http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/3083 http://www.Swedenembnl.org/pages/consular/schengen.htm

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