The study shows that employment, education and other formal indicators of establishment do not always result in a sense of social belonging. It therefore proposes concrete measures that can strengthen migrants’ participation, visibility and sense of being recognised as full members of society. Particular emphasis is placed on reciprocal social relationships, in which both migrants and the surrounding society contribute to the integration process. The policy recommendations are consistent with Sweden’s stated objective that integration should promote belonging and participation.

The study is based on repeated in-depth interviews with young adult migrants, focusing on their life experiences and migration processes. Each participant was interviewed on two or three occasions. This made it possible to follow how their experiences, living conditions and views of belonging changed over time. The study also included interviews with volunteers involved in church-based activities and language cafés. Fieldwork was also conducted at various local meeting places, including neighbourhood cafés, language cafés and church cafés. The participants were between 18 and 24 years old at the time of the interviews. All had secure legal status in Sweden, a good command of Swedish, and were studying or working.

Key conclusions and recommendations 

  • Formal indicators, such as legal status, language proficiency, education and employment, are important prerequisites for integration. At the same time, they provide a limited picture of people’s actual experiences of belonging and participation.
  • Integration is shaped in everyday life through encounters and relationships between migrants, public authorities, schools, civil society organisations and local communities. Responsibility therefore needs to be shared among several actors.
  • A sense of belonging is strengthened when migrants are recognised as full members of society and can participate without being expected to abandon their cultural identity completely.
  • Segregation, negative perceptions and limited contact between different groups in society can create a gap between formal inclusion and social belonging.
  • Local meeting places, such as language cafés, libraries, associations, church cafés and sports activities, can promote language development, social relationships, trust and practical support. Their importance increases when both migrants and established residents participate.

About the author

Azher Hameed Qamar holds a PhD in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and is currently a post-doc researcher at the University of Münster, Germany.

The policy brief was published on 17 August 2026.

Photo: Getty Images via Unsplash.