Despite a population that’s roughly a fourth the size of Canada, Sweden’s population of nearly 10,000,000 accepts more than double the amount of asylum seekers than the Canadian government does on a yearly basis. In 2013 alone, Sweden accepted 31,220 newcomers to their country while Canada allowed 13,206 in the same period of time.
Despite this discrepancy, Canada still remains a leader among first-world nation when it comes to immigration, which inspired Ylva Johansson, the employment minister of Sweden, to arrive in Canada on a fact-finding mission, studying how the Canadian government processes applications in hopes of improving immigration procedure for the Swedish government.
Rising Number of Migrants
Ever since the horrors that displaced countless millions from their homes during World War II, the number of immigrants in limbo has never been higher. At least 50 million people seek residency in other countries in order to escape war, prejudice, poverty and other terrible occurrences that force people en masse from their homelands.
Syria is an example of a country whose residents have been forced into an awful situation. Millions of Syrians have escaped their country rather than face death or worse at the hands of ISIL or Assad’s military dictatorship. Both Sweden and Canada plan to resettle tens of thousands of Syrian caught in the crossfire.
Sweden noticed programs available to newcomers that help them get accustomed to life in Canada, including education and job programs that prepare migrants for a successful future in their new country. “I also learned about this program with settlement workers in schools that can help parents and children in schools and also help teachers,” Ms. Johansson stated. “I think that should be valuable also for the Swedish society.”
Striving for a Better Future
The Minister of Employment for Sweden lauded Canada for progressive immigration policies, but she was also interested in replicating mistakes and inefficiencies within the immigration process. One of the issues that did not interest the Swedish representative was the issue of face coverings at immigration ceremonies.
Instead, she expressed concern that Canada is capable of absorbing even more migrants than it already does while solidifying the integration services already in place. Noting that the situation hasn’t been this dire since WWII, Ms. Johansson said, “I think that every country has to perform better for humanitarian reasons in this case, and I think also that Canada can do it.”
While the Canadian government doesn’t worry about population demographic issues, the aging of Europe is a crisis that prosperous countries such as Sweden must tackle. Sweden and other European nations seek to replenish an aging workforce while generating enough tax revenue to fulfill social promises made to retiring workers.
This suggests that established nations and migrant populations can mutually benefit from the immigration process, continuing the prosperous ways of first-world countries while providing opportunity to those who need it most.
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For more information, and professional immigration advice, contact Niren & Associates today. Our experienced staff has helped thousands of individuals and families ,and we can help you, too! Contact us today for more information about Canadian immigration, or fill out our free immigration assessment to get started right away.
President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
