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SWEDEN AND CHINA

Sweden deports Chinese journalist with lifetime ban on returning

A Chinese journalist is being deported from Sweden with a lifetime ban on returning, after the Swedish security services, Säpo, accused her of posing a threat to national security.

Published: 8 April 2024 10:10 CEST
the Chinese flag
Sweden's security services have previously warned of Chinese influence operations. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen/Scanpix Norge/Scanpix

The 57-year-old woman arrived in Sweden almost 20 years ago and is married to a Swedish man, reports public broadcaster SVT’s investigative news programme, Uppdrag granskning.

Until October 9th last year, she published daily articles on her own news website, but was taken into custody by Säpo the same month.

In November, the Migration Agency issued a deportation order.

“The information the authority has is very reliable. The complainant poses a serious threat to the security of the realm,” Säpo told the Migration Court after the journalist appealed the decision.

The Migration Court in its ruling recommended that the government uphold the deportation and return ban, which it has now done in a decision signed by Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer, reports Uppdrag granskning.

The journalist, who denies that she’s a threat to national security, is reported to have had close contact with the Chinese embassy and people linked to the Chinese regime in Sweden for years.

Säpo has previously named China as one of the greatest threats to Swedish national security, accusing Beijing of carrying out widespread espionage and intelligence operations in Sweden.

Last year the journalist in question was mentioned in a report by the Swedish National China Centre, run by the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, on Chinese diaspora media and their links to the Chinese Communist Party.

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WORK PERMITS

Sweden launches digital passport checks for (some) work permit applicants

In a new scheme by the Migration Agency, applicants for a Swedish work or student permit will be able to verify their passport digitally instead of having to travel to a Swedish embassy – but so far only if they come from one of the 23 countries involved in the pilot.

Published: 20 May 2024 06:38 CEST
Sweden launches digital passport checks for (some) work permit applicants

“Some applicants will now be able to download an app, scan their passport and perform facial recognition to identify themselves for their residence permit applications for studies and work,” said Fredrik Larsson, from the Migration Agency’s foreign operations unit, in a statement.

Applicants who may be able to take part in the pilot scheme, including those who have already made an application in 2024 but haven’t yet shown their passport, will receive an automated email a few days after applying, containing a link to an e-service that’s valid for one week.

It means they won’t have to make in some cases long and expensive journeys to a Swedish embassy to have their passport checked. 

“The whole aim of the project has been to make it easier for applicants. Since it became a requirement to show your passport during a personal visit, more people have been forced to visit a mission abroad, which may be in another country,” said Larsson.

Freja eID Group AB, which is one of the companies that provide digital IDs in Sweden, is responsible for carrying out the check.

The new scheme is expected to benefit around 19,000 work permit applicants and 5,000 students a year from the following countries: USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, UK, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Chile, Singapore, Malaysia, North Macedonia, Georgia, Ukraine, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Albania, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The countries involved are all ones where people don’t need a visa to travel to Sweden, so some major work permit countries such as India are excluded. The Local has contacted the Migration Agency to ask if and when the pilot scheme might be rolled out to other countries.

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