Wait times for residence permits have gotten excessively long at many of Germany's immigration offices. Our readers share how long they've had to wait for a new visa, the impact delays have on their lives and their tips for getting through.
Syrian-Swedish journalist and filmmaker Jamil Walli moved to Sweden in 2013 as an exchange student, later moving into filmmaking. We spoke to him about his life in Sweden, as well as how the attitude towards immigrants has changed since he first arrived.
Sweden has launched a number of initiatives in recent months aimed at foreign researchers, but what do researchers themselves think Sweden should be doing to make the country a more attractive choice for academics?
Richard Mason, originally from Wales, moved to Sweden in 2020 for a postdoctoral position at Umeå University. The Local spoke to him about his research and his experience of life in northern Sweden as an international academic.
Sweden's decision to abolish 'track changes' ('spårbyte') – a permit path which allowed rejected asylum seekers to switch to a work permit without having to leave the country – means thousands of people who have lived in Sweden for years risk deportation.
When Sweden's migration minister told The Local that a new law tightening citizenship rules wouldn't scare away highly skilled foreign workers, Spotify software engineer Eric Peterson decided to collect signatures to prove him wrong.
With the centre-right conservatives set to take the helm of the next German government, and the far-right having made significant gains, readers of The Local shared their thoughts on the election results.
Sweden's annual book sale started this week. Here are five reading tips from The Local's readers if you feel like picking something up during the sale.
The Local’s readers are calling on Swedish politicians to tone down inflammatory rhetoric and stop treating foreigners as a threat to the country after the mass shooting in Örebro.
After feeling like he was just going through the motions, Stockholm-based Australian Jake Farrugia, 33, decided to abandon the world of dating apps in favour of a completely different approach.
An inquiry into tightening up citizenship laws recently proposed strengthening the requirement for Swedish citizenship applicants to demonstrate good behaviour. But how do The Local's readers, many of whom want to apply for citizenship in the future, feel about this?
Statistics show that more and more foreigners are leaving Sweden for Germany. Tayyab Shabab, a programmer who was squeezed out by bureaucratic Swedish migration rules, knows what that's like.
Negative attitudes towards foreigners have risen in Switzerland, with new proposals to limit, or even severely restrict, the number of new arrivals. Many foreign residents in Switzerland tell us they are extremely concerned.
An inquiry into tightening up citizenship laws recently proposed almost doubling the fee for Swedish citizenship. But how do The Local's readers, many of whom want to apply for citizenship in the future, feel about this?
An inquiry into tightening up citizenship laws recently proposed extending the residency requirement for Swedish citizenship to eight years, from the current five. But how do The Local's readers, many of whom want to apply for citizenship in the future, feel about this?
We asked The Local's readers to tell us about something good that happened to them in Sweden last year. From new babies to residence permits, here are the stories they shared.
Early in December, Bashar al-Assad’s regime fell in Syria, ending over 50 years of his family's rule. Syrians in Sweden, many of whom arrived in the country after fleeing Assad in 2015, had mixed reactions to the news.
Recent calls for Swedish citizenship applications to be delayed or even paused completely until the government can tighten up the rules have been met with anger and concern by readers of The Local.
We asked The Local's readers to tell us about something good that happened to them in Sweden last month. If you need something heartwarming to read, this article is for you.
Two former Northvolt employees have told The Local that they believe the top management should be held accountable for the crisis and layoffs at the company, putting the blame squarely on their heads.
In a recent survey, the majority of The Local readers said they felt xenophobia and racism was on the rise in Germany, but personal experiences varied dramatically. Here's what readers said.
Two researchers who were denied long-term residency status in Sweden argue they're being unjustly punished for the Migration Agency's history of long processing times.
After regional election results in two German states saw the xenophobic AfD gaining historically high scores, foreigners in the country have expressed unease about their futures in Germany. Share your own views in the comments section below.
After figures showing that more Indians are leaving Sweden than immigrating here went viral last week, we asked The Local's Indian readers for their tips on what Indians should know before moving here. Here's what they said.
