Sweden

Sweden has entered into social security agreements with 11 countries that mainly cover retirement, disability and survivors pensions and contain coordination and aggregation rules in addition to regulating the portability of benefits. 

The Swedish Work Environment Authority has a website in multiple languages designed to inform migrant workers in the areas of catering and contruction of their rights and entitlements in Sweden in order to minimize their risk of exploitation.

Local authorities provide various integration services for immigrants, including language training (SFI - Swedish for immigrants) and provide legal aid. Some local authorities also run medborgarkontor (citizen information centers) in areas with high numbers of migrants, which provide individual assistance to migrants on how to navigate local bureaucracies, apply for benefits and find housing.

Sweden, the biggest country in Scandinavia with a population of just over nine million people, is today a multicultural society. In recent years the influx of asylum-seekers and refugees, family members of migrants already resident in the country, as well as foreign students has reached record levels. In addition, European Union (EU) citizens, Norwegians and Icelanders are free to settle in Sweden and look for work. Only recently the government also made immigration easier for workers from non-EU states.

The Policy for Global Development includes activities to foster entrepreneurial spirit among migrants in Sweden. Migration flows have been identified as one of the six global challenges.

In 2009 the Swedish government appointed an Independent Parliamentary Committee on Circular Migration and Development, with the task to examine the link between circular migration and development by mapping circular migration to and from Sweden and identify factors that influence migrants’ opportunities to circulate. The purpose of the Committee was to see how the connections between circular migration and development could be further enhanced. The committee's final report Circular migration and development - proposals and future perspectives (SOU 2011:28) was presented on 31 March 2011.

According to the Swedish Aliens law, persons who are found not to be “convention” refugees under the 1951 Refugees Convention may also qualify for asylum under a category known as ‘persons in need of protection – skyddsbehövande’. This includes those that have left their native country and have good reason to fear capital punishment, torture, need protection due to war (internal/external) or an environmental disaster in their native country

Swedfund provides risk capital, expertise and financial support for investments in the emerging markets of Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Swedfund’s mission is “to help in enabling poor people to improve their lives” and “to bring about strengthened democracy, equitable and sustainable development”. By co-financing sound investments, it encourages economically, environmentally and socially sustainable development.

Launched in 1994, EURES is a European cooperation network of employment services, designed to facilitate the free movement of workers. The network has always worked hard to ensure that European citizens can benefit from the same opportunities, despite language barriers, cultural differences, bureaucratic challenges, diverse employment laws and a lack of recognition of educational certificates across Europe.

This web portal provides information on access to job opportunities in 32 European countries. It also promotes the cooperation amongst national employment agencies.

This study has three objectives:

1) analyze migration and development in Europe;

2) provide input for continued policy discussions on migration and development beyond Europe, and;

3) assist states in identifying possible future directions, as well as common ground for addressing migration as an inherent part of development.