Employer failings put workers’ right to stay at risk

A job in Sweden does not protect a worker’s residence permit if the conditions behind it are not met. For a cook employed through a staffing company in Karlstad, findings against the employer have resulted in a decision to deport his whole family.

Uyen Xuan has worked at Spicy Hot since 2019. In a report published on 26 September and updated on 30 September, SVT reported that the Migration Agency and Migration Court had found his staffing company unreliable.

The removal decision says employees could not demonstrate that they controlled their wages. The authorities described the arrangements as abuse of Swedish rules and exploitation of foreign labour. The reported decision requires the family to leave for Vietnam.

The national rules make employment conditions central to the right to stay. The Migration Agency warns that it can revoke a work permit when those conditions are not fulfilled. It says workers should never return all or part of their wages to an employer.

Workers facing exploitation can seek help from police, their union or regional support coordinators. The agency also accepts anonymous tips about employers who break the rules.

DailySweden

DailySweden's desk of editors, reporters, researchers and investigative journalists. We bring readers factual, truthful and objective reporting on the issues that matter to them.

Contact the editorial desk ›