As a student in Sweden, I am required to get a temporary resident card, which permits me to both study here and stay beyond the 90 days that I am magically awarded simply for carrying a Swedish passport. So far, aside from proving that I am “financially self-sufficient” (meaning my savings account from childhood with Tom’s name on it doesn’t count), the application process has been well-explained and efficient, as one would expect a Swedish state agency to function. Last Thursday, I hopped on a bus to ride 40 minutes away to get my fingerprints done for my ID card and found that things can never be as efficient as planned, especially amidst the largest refugee crisis since WWII. I arrived on time for my appointment (9:50am) and tried to sign in but quickly found that their technology system was not working and they were resorting instead to post-it notes. Since I had an appointment, I was told they would simply call my name, and so I found a seat in the crowded waiting room next to a screaming baby and two guys filling out paperwork while talking loudly on the phone.
The scene was chaos. People were chatting, yelling, asking questions in an array of languages and translation chains while in the background an information video played explaining your options as an asylum seeker. Just this past summer, Swedish parliament passed a couple different laws that heightens the regulations for refugees seeking permanent residency. Asylum seekers who are refused entry or whose period of voluntary exit has expired will no longer have access to temporary food or housing, with the exception of those under the age of 18. The second law limiting the number of permanent residence permits that will be granted in the next 3 years. The law is temporary and will be reassessed in 3 years, but in the meantime it means that individuals seeking protection (i.e. being assessed as a refugee) will be granted either a 3 year temporary permit card or a temporary 13 months depending on the assessment of individual circumstance. Finally, the bill has increased requirements for family reunification, again in attempt to limit the number of individuals entering the country. Last year Sweden had a record 163,000 asylum seekers (compared to the US 70,000 globally) and was among the top countries affected by the European refugee crisis. While I understand creating policies that match with realistic capacities and capabilities, I always feel like there must be another way when creating solutions for a humanitarian crisis such as this. People are dying trying to get away from the violence and danger of their own homes. While I understand the existing needs domestically in every country, we can’t turn a blind eye to the suffering of innocent citizens who are literally driven out of their homes. Whether people like it or not, we are a globalized society with globalized needs. This crisis affects us all. While many humanitarian agencies seek to alleviate the urgent aspects of the crisis, political leaders need to come together for multilateral solutions so that people aren’t dying by the thousands in attempt to reach safer places.
While I have certainly been paying attention to the crisis, talking about it in many class discussions, meeting classmates and friends who have experienced similar danger in their own home countries, the situation didn’t become so clear to me until I was sitting in that waiting room imagining the lives these people may have left behind and the journey they took to get to these seats. I can guarantee it was more than one 40-minute bus ride. The laws in Sweden do not come without opposition. After reading a bit through old news articles, I find that many people are outraged. The laws will not only affect asylum seekers but other ex-pats trying to bring their families to Sweden as well. The laws are viewed as harsh but are met with a realistic government, who has looked at Sweden’s resources and intake capabilities and deemed the country unable to provide resources for so many people. For more information about the ongoing refugee crisis check out this infographic article from the BBC Migrant crisis and educate yourself about migration policies in your own country. For me as an American, knowing the dynamics of this crisis and listening to the Republican party this election season has been disgraceful, if not, my worst nightmare.
I will also share this American perception of Jewish refugees 1938 giving a historic perspective of American attitudes.
Part II
Back to the inefficient waiting room in the Swedish migration office, we come to the moment where the computers start working again. I get up to go type in my now long ago appointment time and keep coming up with an error. Someone comes over to help me, also confused that my verification code is pulling up nothing. She asks me if I”m sure my appointment is today and of course, it is, it’s written for Thursday the 8th on all of calendars (2 digital and one paper). I pull up the email to show her and she agrees, yes, my appointment is here in Uppsala blah blah blah but then, no no no, it’s not today because it’s not the 9th and my appointment is on the 9th, tomorrow, Friday. So, that was fun and idiotic on my part. I sulked out feeling like a grade A dumb dumb and set off on my day.
Friday morning began like a scene from Groundhog’s Day. This time, though, I was much more efficient in my path, knowing exactly which bus to take and unneeding of googlemaps to guide me walking from the bus stop. And, what do you know, the system does work efficiently and I was in and out within 20 minutes of my appointment. What fun you can have when you write things down incorrectly!
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