New research reports about legal migration to Sweden

Welcome to the seminar where two research reports about labour migration and legal migration pathways are presented. The seminar begins with a presentation about the primary findings of the reports, followed by a panel discussion with invited experts.

The reports highlight different but complementary aspects of Sweden’s opportunities to attract and receive migrants through legal pathways – both highly qualified workers and other groups who can contribute to future skill supply.

During the seminar the following reports are presented:

The Revised EU Blue Card Directive: A Study of Sweden's Migration Policy Regime for Highly Qualified Third Country Nationals
Designing Legal Pathways Into Sweden: Opportunities, Challenges and Added Value

The report The Revised EU Blue Card Directive: A study of Sweden’s Migration Policy Regime for Highly Qualified Third Country Nationals analyses Sweden’s initiatives to attract highly skilled third country nationals at a time where many employers are experiencing skill shortages. The report examines the revision of the EU Blue Card Directive on both the EU and national levels, how different stakeholders have assessed these changes, and the effects of the Blue Card since its implementation in Sweden 1st of January 2025.

Author: Micheline van Riemsdijk, professor in Cultural Geography at Uppsala Universit

The report Designing Legal Pathways into Sweden: Opportunities, Challenges and Added Value focus on the need for more legal migration pathways to address Sweden’s long-term demographic and labour market challenges. Against the backdrop of Europe’s ageing population and increased labour market shortages, the report analyses how Sweden can develop legal pathways for work and education – for both refugees and other migrants – in order to strengthen the skills supply, contribute to sustainable growth, and offer alternatives to irregular migration.

Authors: Zvezda Vankova, University Lecturer and Senior Researcher, Depatment of Law, Lund University. Bernd Parusel, PhD, Senior Researcher in Political Science, SIEPS.

Panel participants:

Patrick Joyce, Chief Economist at Almega
Anna Bartosiewicz, Legal Expert at the Swedish Migration Agency
Johan Enfeldt, Analyst at the Social Policy unit, LO
Moderator: Kerstin Brunnberg, Board Member, Delmi

Picture: Plus via Unsplash.

Panel participants:

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