Sweden in Focus

In this week's episode we talk about the politics behind Sweden's planned new salary threshold for work permit holders. We also look at what readers of The Local always make sure to do when they’re back visiting the countries they moved from. For Membership+ subscribers we discuss the Swedish government’s controversial plan to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13. Finally, we’ve...

In this clip from the latest episode of Sweden in Focus Extra, The Local's Nordic editor Richard Orange interviews José Naves Moura Neto, a Brazilian software engineer. Neto, who was working at Volvo, moved back to Brazil last month after his 19-year-old son was ordered to leave Sweden just weeks after graduating from high school. 'We are devastated': Volvo engineer’s family forced out of Sweden b...

In this week's episode we talk about bilingual English-Swedish schools in Sweden and why they’re under fire from the authorities.  We also discuss the pros and cons of rail travel in Sweden after the launch this week of a multi-billion kronor plan to improve Sweden’s railway network. For Membership+ subscribers we examine the government’s controversial plan to revoke permanent residency from...

In this week’s episode The Local's Nordic editor Richard Orange interviews the Gothenburg-based immigration lawyer Tomas Fridh.  Many of The Local’s readers have been directly affected by a law that has led to the young adult children of permanent residency applicants being forced to leave Sweden unless they’re able to fully provide for themselves. When the government recently proposed new fa...

In this week's episode we talk about whether immigrants will soon have to sign a contract promising to follow Swedish norms, and what's in the Swedish right's radical new plan for the next four years if it wins the 2026 election? We also examine reactions to a bumper budget and its impact on voters. For Membership+ subscribers we have updates on the issue of the Migration Agency not accepting some...

In this clip from Sweden in Focus Extra, The Local's Nordic editor Richard Orange chats with Moa Bursell, a sociologist from Mälardalen University who specialises in ethnic discrimination on the labour market. Richard caught up with the researcher recently for an article about why some immigrants change their names to sound more Swedish.  The immigrants who make their names more Swedish by ad...

In this week's episode we talk about anti-immigrant attacks in Stockholm and why a government minister won’t answer questions in parliament on how much he knew about his son’s involvement, until recently, with an extremist group alleged to be behind the attacks. We’ll also discuss the Swedish language and how the words we use every day gradually creep into how we speak English. Host Paul O'Mahony...

In this clip from Sweden in Focus Extra, The Local's Richard Orange talks to Masoud Jamshidian , a solutions architect from Iran who is facing deportation from Sweden as a result of an insurance error made by his employer. 'Like prison for stealing a bag of chips': IT architect faces deportation from Sweden Deportations of this kind are often referred to in the Swedish media as kompetensutvisninga...

In this week's episode we talk about Sweden’s expansive new budget and how it’s likely to affect our pockets – and next year’s election. We'll also help hone your Swedish language skills as we explain the subtle but all-important differences between different words for the English ‘put’. For Membership+ subscribers we look at the fallout after Sweden’s civil defence minister was pursued in the str...

In this clip from Sweden in Focus Extra, The Local's Richard Orange catches up with Douglas Thor , the head of the Moderate party’s youth wing, to talk about his ideas for combating teen deportations. As we’ve reported quite a bit recently, Sweden is routinely deporting the young adult children of permanent residency applicants if they can’t support themselves financially, and Douglas Thor has bee...

In this week's episode, panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange tell us how they've recently embellished their Swedish credentials through woodland activities and crayfish parties.  In news, we look at how the government is planning to combat high food prices as well as what property prices and the value of the krona are telling us about the state of Sweden’s economy. We also dive into th...

In this clip from Sweden in Focus Extra, host Paul O'Mahony chats with Iain Forbes , a medical professional from the UK who moved to Falun shortly after the 2016 Brexit vote. In the interview Forbes speaks in glowing terms about the integration package offered to him by the Dalarna Region , which included six months of fully paid language instruction as well as assistance with relocation and housi...

In this week's episode we talk about the government’s plans for citizenship tests and why universities want nothing to do with creating them. And when does autumn start in Sweden? Have we given up on summer already? Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and James Savage.  Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode: Citizenship Stockholm...

In this week's episode we talk about the latest from the trial of Sweden’s former national security chief, Henrik Landerholm, over the negligent handling of classified documents. We also discuss the language used to describe people who weren’t born in Sweden. Are we immigrants, foreigners, expats or something else entirely? Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Richard Orange...

In this week’s episode we look at the past, present and future of cricket in Sweden. With interest soaring in Sweden in recent years, The Local’s  James Savage  attended an event recently introducing Swedish parliamentarians to the sport.  To get a feel for the state of the game in Sweden, James spoke to the event’s organizer,  Nagendra Siddoutam  from Anchor Sports , &nbs...

In this week's episode we talk about the resurrection of Northvolt and what new ownership will mean for the bankrupt battery maker. We also ask if the government is likely to do anything to stop the trend of young adults being deported while their working parents are allowed to stay in Sweden. Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Richard Orange and James Savage.  Here a...

In this week's episode we talk about Sweden’s return to day-to-day life as the summer holidays wind down. In politics we discuss divisions on the right on how to deal with Israel, and we dig into reactions to news that the Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson uses Chat GPT to test out new ideas. Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelist Richard Orange.  Here are links to some of th...

In this week's episode we bring in The Local's Denmark editor, Michael Barrett, to talk about why Denmark is liberating its work permit rules at the same time as Sweden is tightening up. And we assess Sweden’s big political experiment: a centre-right government backed by the far-right Sweden Democrats. Three years on, how has it been working? Host Richard Orange is joined this week by The Local's...

This week's episode of Sweden in Focus Extra for Membership+ subscribers features an interview with Hanna Geurtsen, the Migration Agency official responsible for overseeing a new list of jobs which could be exempted from a future salary threshold for work permits. She tells us how and why the list was put together, what it consists of, and what practical impact, if any, it is likely to have. Membe...

In this week's episode we talk about 'cloudburst-like rain' and what to do if your house is flooded, we talk about why Swedes tend to stay home in the summer, and we talk about what it's like to have a baby in Sweden. Floods How can you protect your Swedish home against downpours? Swedish summer 'On a sunny day, it can't be beat': The best things about spending summer in Sweden Having babies How t...

It’s time again to learn some Swedish as our panelists try their hand at the tricky vocabulary section of Högskoleprovet, the Swedish university entrance exam.  Host Paul O’Mahony in Stockholm is joined this week from Malmö by The Local's Becky Waterton and Richard Orange . READ ALSO: SWEDISH TEST: Can you pass the vocab part of Sweden's version of the SAT?   What you need to know about...

In this week's episode we talk about revelations that the son of Johan Forssell, Sweden's migration minister, has been active in far-right extremist groups and how the scandal is affecting the government.  We also discuss what's behind a recent spate of redundancies in Sweden's games sector, an industry that employs a disproportionately high number of foreign workers.  Politics  Swe...

In this week's episode we once again bring you a Swedish language quiz as The Local's journalists answer multiple choice questions from the vocabulary section of Högskoleprovet, the Swedish university entrance exam. Host Paul O’Mahony is joined for the quiz by regular panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange . READ ALSO: SWEDISH TEST: Can you pass the vocab part of Sweden's version of the SAT?...

In this week’s episode we bring you a language quiz in which we put The Local’s journalists through their paces with questions from the vocabulary section of Högskoleprovet, the Swedish university entrance exam. Host Paul O’Mahony is joined for the quiz by regular panelists  Becky Waterton  and  Richard Orange . READ ALSO: SWEDISH TEST: Can you pass the vocab part of Sweden’s versio...

In this special episode from the Almedalen political week on Gotland, James Savage talks to former US Ambassador Erik Ramanathan about how much the Trump presidency is really changing the relationship between Sweden and the US. He also has an interview with campaigner Khrystyna Hevchuk about the challenges faced by Ukrainian refugees in Sweden. And Helena Renström from Skellefteå municipality talk...