Sweden’s new migration minister says country must be attractive to foreign talent

Sweden’s new migration minister Johan Forssell said on Tuesday it was “essential” for Swedish companies and Swedish competitiveness that the country is “attractive to talent, researchers, investors and people working in key professions”.

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Forssell, who until now had been the minister for foreign trade and international development, took over from Maria Malmer Stenergard as migration minister on Tuesday.
Malmer Stenergard has in turn taken over from foreign minister Tobias Billström, who announced his decision to step down earlier this week.

“After two years as foreign trade minister, I’m also bringing with me perspective when it comes to highly-qualified labour migration,” Forssell told a press conference after the announcement.
“We should be very proud of our world-leading Swedish companies, and it’s essential for both us and our country’s competitiveness that we are attractive to talent, researchers, investors and people working in professions experiencing a shortage of labour.”
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“That’s something I look forward to developing further,” Forssell added.
“[Migration] is a very important area, it’s important for Sweden and voters repeatedly rank it top of their political agenda,” Forssell said. “Our role is to make sure that the next generation in this country has a better life than the previous generation, and in order to do that we need to sort out migration and succeed with integration.”
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“There are a lot of things that need to be done here. School policy, getting more people into work, and so on,” he added. “But one thing which cannot be avoided is that asylum-related immigration needs to be at a very low level, for a very long period into the future.”
READ MORE: Swedish work permits granted to top international talent drop 20 percent
“It’s important that we hold on to the changes that Maria, and others, have made in this area, and never again return to the previous migration policy.”
Forssell was chief of staff or stabschef for Sweden’s former PM Fredrik Reinfeldt between 2006 and 2010 and was seen as having a bright future in politics.
He was the Moderate’s justice spokesperson in the run-up to the 2022 election. So when he was appointed to the fairly junior role of minister for foreign trade and international development rather than, say, justice minister, when the new government was appointed in October that year, it was seen as a snub.
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A promotion to migration minister in this government is definitely a step up.
“As everyone knows, this is one of this government’s most central areas of domestic policy,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said. “Johan has twelve years of experience in parliament, and has among other things been chair of the justice committee, which works with those exact issues.”

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Forssell, who until now had been the minister for foreign trade and international development, took over from Maria Malmer Stenergard as migration minister on Tuesday.
Malmer Stenergard has in turn taken over from foreign minister Tobias Billström, who announced his decision to step down earlier this week.
“After two years as foreign trade minister, I’m also bringing with me perspective when it comes to highly-qualified labour migration,” Forssell told a press conference after the announcement.
“We should be very proud of our world-leading Swedish companies, and it’s essential for both us and our country’s competitiveness that we are attractive to talent, researchers, investors and people working in professions experiencing a shortage of labour.”
READ MORE:
“That’s something I look forward to developing further,” Forssell added.
“[Migration] is a very important area, it’s important for Sweden and voters repeatedly rank it top of their political agenda,” Forssell said. “Our role is to make sure that the next generation in this country has a better life than the previous generation, and in order to do that we need to sort out migration and succeed with integration.”
“There are a lot of things that need to be done here. School policy, getting more people into work, and so on,” he added. “But one thing which cannot be avoided is that asylum-related immigration needs to be at a very low level, for a very long period into the future.”
READ MORE: Swedish work permits granted to top international talent drop 20 percent
“It’s important that we hold on to the changes that Maria, and others, have made in this area, and never again return to the previous migration policy.”
Forssell was chief of staff or stabschef for Sweden’s former PM Fredrik Reinfeldt between 2006 and 2010 and was seen as having a bright future in politics.
He was the Moderate’s justice spokesperson in the run-up to the 2022 election. So when he was appointed to the fairly junior role of minister for foreign trade and international development rather than, say, justice minister, when the new government was appointed in October that year, it was seen as a snub.
A promotion to migration minister in this government is definitely a step up.
“As everyone knows, this is one of this government’s most central areas of domestic policy,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said. “Johan has twelve years of experience in parliament, and has among other things been chair of the justice committee, which works with those exact issues.”