The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

The Nordic Times

The Nordic Times

Breaking News
This article was published 2 years ago

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/sweden-third-of-foreign-students-disappear/

Sweden

Sweden: Third of foreign students ‘disappear’

Published March 24, 2024 – By Editorial staff
Nobody really knows where many of the foreign students go.
3 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

According to a new report, 72% of those who are granted a residence permit drop out of their studies before the second year - and a third of them disappear from the radar of the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).

– If they settle in Sweden, it is not where they studied. The cases will probably and hopefully end up in the hands of the police, says a source at the agency.

Last autumn, the Swedish National Audit Office (Riksrevisionen) criticised the Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) for revoking the residence permits of immigrants who had come to work. The audit found that there were thousands of cases where residence permits had not been revoked, even though the people concerned were no longer allowed to stay in Sweden. In 2020 alone, there were more than 13,000 cases where there were strong reasons to investigate whether the person was fulfilling the conditions of their residence permit.

The review also found that almost one in four people who came to Sweden to study had no record of studying in Sweden, but neither the Migration Agency nor the universities knew what the people had done during their time in Sweden. Nor did the Migration Agency follow up on those who dropped out.

An internal report from 2022 by the police's National Operations Department (NOA) shows that studies have been abused as a way to come to Sweden to work, according to Fokus, which has read the report.

"Really unpleasant"

The report, which focuses on Pakistani citizens because they make up the largest group of students, shows that 72 percent of those granted a residence permit dropped out of their studies before the second year. According to Swedish regulations, a foreign student is granted a work permit if he or she has completed one semester of studies, equivalent to 30 credits, without being employed by an employer. In addition, the student is not subject to the minimum wage requirements for immigrants. Students also have the right to bring close relatives to Sweden.

Almost a third of students drop out to work instead, but another third of those who come to study also disappear from the radar, the report shows. "They don't work or continue their studies, and you don't know where they go.

– This is where it's getting really uncomfortable, a source at the Swedish Migration Agency told Fokus.

Rumours of human trafficking

In Pakistan and other countries, Sweden is marketed as a "life-changing package for you and your family", "unlimited work allowed", "free education for children" and "travel with family", with agents working on behalf of those who want to come to Sweden. The phrase "No IELT" is also often used, meaning that the education does not require an English test.

The report also suggests that Swedish universities are trying to attract students from outside the EU because they have to pay between 50,000 and 100,000 SEK per semester in course fees. There are also suspicions that courses are being created specifically for these students, as several institutions are offering 30-credit courses with very low levels of difficulty and no language requirements.

The source points out that it is becoming "unclear whether people from poor countries want to come here to study, or whether the studies are there because they want to come here for other reasons", and there are also rumours of trafficking and prostitution, although there is currently no clear evidence of this. For example, there is a high proportion of young women from Nigeria - one of the world's biggest trafficking countries.

– We don't see what's happening, we just have this big empty number of asylum seekers. If they settle in Sweden, it is not in the place where they studied. The cases will probably and hopefully end up in the hands of the police.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/elon-musk-olof-palme-destroyed-sweden/

Sweden

Elon Musk: “Olof Palme destroyed Sweden”

Population replacement in the West

Updated November 25, 2025, Published November 25, 2025 – By Editorial staff
The idea of a multicultural Sweden was introduced partly through initiatives and debate articles by David Schwarz (far right in the image) and with support from the Bonnier family.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Elon Musk has once again entered the Swedish immigration debate. On X, he accuses former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme of having "destroyed Sweden" by introducing multiculturalism in 1975.

The tech billionaire is responding to an X post by journalist Christian Peterson, who claims that Palme, through a 1975 legislative change (Proposition 1975:26), laid the foundation for today's multicultural society, reports Fria Tider.

Peterson argues that the decision was made without a referendum or extensive investigation and links it to current problems such as mass immigration, gun violence, parallel societies, and demographic changes.

"Multiculturalism was added to the Swedish constitution in 1975 (Prop. 1975:26) under Olof Palme — no referendum, no long-term review. 50 years later: mass migration, record gun violence, parallel societies, major demographic shifts. A turning point that no one voted for".

In response, Elon Musk writes briefly and concisely: "He destroyed Sweden" and also attaches an AI-generated summary of the 1975 parliamentary decision.

1975 – a political crossroads

The controversial 1975 proposition established that immigrants and minorities should be able to choose whether to adapt to a Swedish cultural identity or maintain their original cultural heritage.

The new policy also meant that the state would provide financial support to immigrant organizations and cultural projects. Critics argue that this became a political choice with long-term effects.

Musk and Peterson today link the decision to current concerns about integration, social division, and crime.

Elon Musk has previously engaged in Swedish legal matters. During the fall, he criticized an appeals court ruling where a man was acquitted of deportation after a rape conviction, calling the decision "insane".

His latest statement has once again touched on a deep ideological conflict within Swedish politics – a societal issue that remains a hot political topic in Sweden.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/sweden-democrats-voted-against-abolishing-controversial-hate-speech-law/

Sweden

Sweden Democrats voted against abolishing controversial hate speech law

Published November 25, 2025 – By Editorial staff
One of the Sweden Democrats' primary reasons for not pushing for a complete abolition of the heavily criticized law on incitement against ethnic groups (HMF), is the "increasing antisemitism" in Sweden (archive image).
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Sweden Democrats (SD) now wants to reform the country's hate speech law (hets mot folkgrupp). At the party congress in Örebro this past weekend, the party voted by a narrow margin for comprehensive reform – while proposals to completely abolish the law failed by the smallest possible difference.

The Sweden Democrats' party congress in Örebro, a city in central Sweden, resulted in a decision that the party should work toward a fundamental change to the hate speech law.

The vote was very close: 79 delegates supported the party leadership's position, while 78 voted to completely remove the law.

Prior to the decision, several motions had demanded that the law be abolished entirely. These motions received support from many delegates from the floor.

Julia Fält, a delegate from Fyrbodal in western Sweden, criticized the law's current application: — The law doesn't work as intended. It creates arbitrariness, silences debate and punishes statements that don't constitute any real threat.

Petter Nilsson, a delegate from Västerbotten in northern Sweden, joined the criticism: — Through legal precedent, it has more or less been established that Swedes cannot be subjected to hate speech. However, a large number of court cases have come to involve the 'group' of drag queens, which is quite telling.

Several speakers repeated the argument that the law doesn't protect the Swedish majority population and that it is currently applied arbitrarily in ways that limit freedom of speech.

Party leadership wants reform

Despite the criticism, the party leadership maintained that the hate speech law should not be abolished. Instead, they want to reform it so that it returns to dealing with ethnic groups in the proper sense.

Party Secretary Mattias Bäckström Johansson emphasized before the congress that the law should be streamlined and not linked to, for example, sexual orientation or religious affiliation.

Julia Kronlid, a member of the Swedish Parliament Riksdag and member of the party leadership, argued for the leadership's position and emphasized historical reasons for keeping the law.

— I really understand the frustration that may exist. But we must not forget the background to the law, with the persecution of Jews and the Holocaust.

Kronlid also highlighted current societal developments as a reason for the party leadership's position.

— Given the increasing antisemitism, I think it would be a major mistake to remove the law. It will be portrayed completely incorrectly. Our party leader Jimmie Åkesson will have to stand in interview after interview and answer the question 'why campaign on allowing hate speech'.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-public-broadcaster-aired-ai-generated-clip/

Sweden

Swedish public broadcaster aired AI-generated clip

Published November 24, 2025 – By Editorial staff
1 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

During Sunday evening's SVT Agenda, an AI-generated video was broadcast without the editorial team being aware of it. The clip appeared to show a confrontation between a New York police officer and an agent from the federal immigration agency ICE.

The video was part of a longer report about tensions in the United States surrounding deportations of undocumented migrants, where ICE operations have led to conflicts with local police in several Democrat-controlled cities.

The AI-generated material was shown on two occasions: first in the program's intro and then as part of the longer US report.

— It is unfortunate that we mistakenly published an AI-generated clip. The audience should always be able to trust that images in Agenda are authentic, says Agenda's editor-in-chief Michael Kucera.

The broadcast has been temporarily removed from SVT Play (the broadcaster's streaming service). A corrected version will be published as soon as possible, along with a correction notice. The editorial team states that they are now reviewing their procedures to avoid similar errors in the future.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/residents-in-vulnerable-areas-most-supportive-of-swedens-new-return-grant/

Sweden

Residents in vulnerable areas most supportive of Sweden’s new return grant

Population replacement in the West

Published November 17, 2025 – By Editorial staff
After the Swedish government, together with the Sweden Democrats party, significantly raised the cap for return migration grants, support for receiving the grant is now increasing among certain immigrant groups.
3 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Swedish government's significant increase of the return migration grant at the turn of the year is meeting mixed reactions among the population. A new opinion poll shows that support is strongest among foreign-born residents in so-called vulnerable areas – and weakest among left-wing voters.

At the same time, debate is growing about how the grant should be used and what effects it may have for municipalities and the state.

When the Tidö government (Sweden's center-right coalition government) raises the return migration grant from approximately €900 to €31,000 at the turn of the year, the goal is to encourage more migrants who are deemed difficult to integrate to voluntarily return to their countries of origin.

The reform has created extensive political debate, not least after several red-green (left-wing) municipalities indicated their opposition to the measure.

This has led representatives from the Tidö parties and the Sweden Democrats to question whether state support should continue to municipalities that do not participate in the program.

Now a new survey from Indikator Opinion, commissioned by the Järvaveckan Foundation, shows that support for the significantly increased grant varies greatly between different groups.

Support varies greatly

According to the survey, attitudes are significantly more positive among foreign-born residents living in vulnerable areas than in the rest of the country.

In these areas, 39 percent say they are positive about an increased return migration grant, while 30 percent are negative. In the rest of the country – including both native Swedes and immigrants – the proportion of positive responses is 27 percent and the proportion of negative responses is 38 percent.

The most positive group is migrants who have lived in Sweden for less than five years and who also live in vulnerable areas. There, 46 percent say they view the grant increase positively.

Ahmed Abdirahman, CEO of the Järvaveckan Foundation, believes the reaction says something important about how people experience their situation in Sweden.

— That support for an increased return migration grant is greater among foreign-born residents in vulnerable areas may seem surprising at first glance. But the results show how complex the question of integration is. I see it as a sign that we need to talk more about opportunities, not just about benefits. When people don't feel included in nation-building, the willingness to consider other alternatives also increases, he says.

Right-wing voters more positive

The survey also shows large differences between different party sympathies. Among Sweden Democrats' voters, 47 percent are positive about the grant increase, while the corresponding proportion among Christian Democrats' voters is 45 percent.

The least support is found among Left Party and Green Party sympathizers, where a majority view the government's direction negatively.

Per Oleskog Tryggvason, opinion director at Indikator Opinion, emphasizes that the proposal is still unpopular among broader segments of voters.

— A significantly increased return migration grant is a relatively unpopular proposal among Swedish voters – clearly more people think it's bad than think it's good. Even though the proposal is significantly more popular among the Tidö parties' voters, there is a considerable proportion of right-wing voters who are skeptical. Based on these figures, it doesn't appear to be an election-winning proposal, he says.

The grant increase takes effect at the turn of the year. How many people will actually choose to apply remains to be seen – interest has been lukewarm so far, but the government hopes the new amount will change the situation.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com