(Image source from: Canva.com)
Many Indians migrate abroad in search of a better future. Traditionally, countries like the US, UK and Canada have been popular choices for Indian students and professionals looking for better opportunities. But in a surprising development, the European nation of Sweden has reversed this trend with more Indians emigrating abroad. Between January and June 2024, Sweden recorded a significant increase in the number of immigrants of Indian origin. With 2,837 departures compared to 1,046 departures in the same period last year, there was a significant increase of 171%. According to Swedish statistics, Indians are the largest immigrant group from Sweden, surpassing immigrants from Iraq, China and Syria. This decline could be influenced by current challenges such as layoffs in the technology sector and stricter work permit regulations. According to Swedish statistics, the population of Indians in Sweden was 58,094 in 2023. The change marks the first time since at least 1998 that Sweden recorded negative net migration of residents of Indian origin in the first half of this year.
From 1998 to 2010, a total of 24,034 residence permits were issued to Indian nationals. Of these, 61.2% (14,705 people) were used for work, 25.8% (6,200 people) for school, 9.6% (2,307 people) for family renewal, 3.1% (747 people) for adoption and 0.3% (75 people). ) was done for humanitarian reasons. According to the European University Institute report. Robin Sukia, secretary general and CEO of the Sweden-India Business Council, cautioned against jumping to conclusions. We do not believe there is a single reason for this change as it is likely due to a variety of factors including the high cost of living, lack of serviced apartments and general accommodation issues. Sukia told Local Sweden. According to a local Swedish newspaper, despite this increase in immigration, Indians will still be one of the largest groups of new immigrants to Sweden in 2024, just behind Ukrainians. From January to June 2024, a total of 2,461 people born in India immigrated to Sweden, compared to 3,681 in the same period last year. Excluding the pandemic years 2020 and 2021, this is India's lowest immigration rate since 2017.
The decline follows years of steady growth, fueled by strengthening diplomatic ties and Sweden's efforts to attract skilled workers to fill gaps in areas such as technology. However, recent challenges such as layoffs and stricter work permit regulations in the tech sector are affecting this trend. The number of work permits issued for highly skilled immigrants fell 20 percent in the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year, while the number of first-time work permits for Indian nationals fell by 30 percent. These trends reflect the changing challenges faced by Indians in Sweden and indicate possible changes in the country's migration dynamics.
