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DEPORTATION

LinkedIn job finder’s deportation confirmed

Efforts to save a Bangladeshi man from deportation, after a Malmö migration court ruled that he was not allowed a work permit – because he landed his job in Sweden via LinkedIn – have failed.

LinkedIn job finder's deportation confirmed
Latif's case struck a chord with Swedes, with a petition called 'Let Syed Latif stay in Sweden' attracting more than 3,200 signatures. Photo: Robert Bratt/TT

Syed Latif told the The Local that his application to appeal the decision has been turned down by the migration court.

Latif moved to Sweden to study at university in 2010 and later landed a job with an exchange bureau in Malmö. Highly skilled and integrated into the community, he also runs a language café in a nearby town to help refugees learn Swedish.

However, it is not enough for a non-EU citizen to land work. Because EU residents have priority, the job itself, at the time of advertising, must be available and visible to everyone in the EU, according to existing rules.

The migration court found that this had not been the case, because Latif's job at the Ria Financial Service bureau in Malmö had only been advertised on LinkedIn, rather than through the Swedish job centre (Arbetsförmedlingen), which would also have made it searchable in the European job portal Eures.

Migration court judge Claes Lindblom told The Local via email that the court was bound by EU rules and directives – and said Latif had failed to prove that the job ad had been made widely available.

Latif's case struck a chord with Swedes, with a petition called 'Let Syed Latif stay in Sweden' attracting more than 3,200 signatures.

Centre Party politician Fredrik Federley, who is a Swedish member of the European Parliament said he had asked the European Commission to examine whether the Swedish court had interpreted the directive and existing legislation correctly.

However, all attempts to help Latif were in vain and he has told The Local that he will leave Sweden on Tuesday, May 10th.