ABSTRACT

Although the Swedish immigration history goes back many years, Sweden’s policy arrangements for immigrants started much later in the country. The main reason for this is based on the immigrant profile. The Swedish immigrant profile initially consisted of immigrants from Finland. Since the specified immigrant group reflects the Scandinavian society structure and culture, there was no need for immigration policies that would require adaptation to Swedish society. The first consistent and notable immigration policies in Sweden were formed after 1975. After the specified date, according to the developments in the country’s economic and political situation, Swedish immigration policies have changed from open immigration policies to restrictive immigration policies. Especially in 2011, Sweden had a moderate view of the acceptance of Syrian immigrants, which was on the agenda of the whole world. However, in 2015, the Swedish Government declared the ‘Refugee Crisis’ and turned to restrictive immigration integration policies. In this study, the immigrant integration policies of Sweden, which stands out with the immigrant integration policies implemented in eight immigration policy classifications and among 52 countries according to the MIPEX 2020 index, are examined. In the study, a new classification is created by expanding the scope of the Swedish migration process classification. In the study, a critical evaluation of the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) data is made within the framework of the migration and integration literature. In addition, the positive and negative aspects of the Swedish Aliens Act, which came into force after July 2021, are also revealed.