SAMHÄLLE
NEW ALIENS ACT
New Aliens Act - Detrimental to International Competence TEXT PHD CHAPTER CHAIRMAN, MOHAMMAD ABUASBEH PHOTO CARL HOUSTEN
INSÄNDARE In Sweden there are today around 17,000 doctoral students, of which 23% are non EU/EEA citizens. Here at KTH, out of 1600 doctoral students, 40% are non EU/EEA- citizens. When choosing where to pursue a PhD, many factors play in - in addition to seeking a high quality education and research environment, potential doctoral students also consider financial and social stability. Just as you would if you chose to pursue a non academic career. A PhD is a longterm commitment, and most doctoral students will be in their late 20s or 30s, an age where planning to settle down or start a family is not unusual. What has been unique about Sweden is that it has provided a balance between having a high-quality education and research environment, and stability for its international doctoral students - the latter in the form of the ability to obtain permanent residency. This gave Sweden a competitive edge to attract doctoral students for the majority, this was a decisive factor. Doctoral education is not cheap and Sweden has invested tens of billions. Sweden desperately needs doctoral graduates both in academia and in the industry, hence, it is
in Sweden's interest that many of its international PhD graduates remain in Sweden; something that the Swedish Parliament, as recently as December 2020, acknowledged in its Research and Innovation proposition (Prop. 2020/21:60). This has long been a wish and it finally seems that the trend of international doctoral students leaving Sweden has been broken. A recent study by UKÄ (Universitetskanslersämbetet) shows that since 2014, there has been an increase in foreign doctoral students choosing to stay after graduation. The shift in 2014 occured after a lengthy process, lead by student organizations (like SFS and THS), the trade unions like SULF, and others. The Swedish migration legislation was changed such that doctoral students were given the same access to obtaining permanent residency as if they had chosen a non-academic career. This was done to improve not only the conditions for doctoral students, but also to increase Sweden's attractiveness as an innovative nation. This decision was also aimed at increasing the number
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of international doctoral graduates who remain in Sweden - and it worked! The new Aliens Act During the spring of 2021, the parliament voted to replace the temporary law of the Aliens Act (2005:716). Here, the new requirement is that the applicant, in order to obtain permanent residency, must be able to support themselves financially - however, this has in practice turned out to mean that the applicant must have an employment for at least the 18 upcoming months from the date that the Swedish Migration Agency makes their decision about a case. Depending on how long it takes to assess an application, it can result in very different outcomes. This has very serious implications for doctoral students. As a doctoral student, you qualify to apply for permanent residence when you have had a doctoral studies residence permit for four years - hence, usually you will have less than 12 months left of your studies - and the university can of course not grant you an employment contract long enough. But even after graduation, it is unlikely that you will land a permanent position immediately. For those who continue in academia, they are often employed with short term contracts which are often renewed from project to project. This might even be the case if you leave academia and you are no better off than if you had stayed.
