On February 6, 2025, we organized a Zoom meeting titled “Being an Immigrant in Sweden” with Neşe Çelebioğlu, who lives in Halmstads, Sweden, and our Association Board Member Suhendan Vaizoglu as moderators.
Being an Immigrant in Sweden
Reasons for Immigration: Reasons for immigration were discussed Our moderator Suhendan Vaizoğlu explained that people migrate to another country for compelling reasons such as education, job opportunities or family reunification.
Our guest Neşe Çelebioğlu, who lives in Sweden, briefly explained the following
Difficulty of Immigration: With immigration, many problems are encountered that vary from country to country and from person to person. “I came to Sweden because of marriage and when I arrived, I had a residence permit and a work permit, so the conditions were easier for me compared to others.”
Language Learning: Sweden is one of the few countries that offers the option of learning a language directly. Every immigrant can attend free language education at the local municipal school. For social benefits, Sweden requires language learning to support integration. However, it can take many people 8-10 years to learn the language and start a self-sufficient career.
Access to Healthcare: Even if you don’t know the language, you can access healthcare through an interpreter; institutions provide this help free of charge, based on the principle of fair use of human rights.
Education system: The issue here is not whether the curriculum is clear or not; learning a language while going to school is an opportunity that everyone can access. There are many options for adults in Sweden to learn both a profession and a language.
Support for Immigrant Children: Schools offer language support to immigrant children, and this varies from municipality to municipality. In my municipality, I participated in a project at the University of Gothenburg about the situation of immigrant children in school and their future plans. After the education, we provided primary school students with 4 hours of Turkish per week, and secondary school students with 8 hours of Turkish per week, helping them access information. We have seen that these children quickly catch up with their peers. Many municipalities now provide 1 hour of native language support to immigrant children. This is very important for identity awareness because it helps children express themselves, which can potentially lead to serious problems.
Employment challenges: Learning a language is very important. Employers often prefer those who speak their own language, which is not surprising. Moreover, detailed explanations should be provided to citizens who misinterpret government or municipal measures to facilitate immigrant integration, as this can lead to serious problems, including hate crimes.
Integration Efforts: Sweden has made significant efforts to integrate immigrants, making it one of the best countries in the world. However, immigration is a relatively new issue for Turkey, and with the situation in Syria, there are significant challenges ahead.
Personal Experience: I was very upset by the comments about Syrian immigrants. Raising awareness should be one of the most important goals of our association. I arrived 23 years ago in 2002, we did not receive any support at the time, and it took us about ten years to find our way in the system. Now there is a mandatory 100-hour training program for new arrivals in their own language, explaining the conditions in the country and how it works, which is very helpful.
The Association’s Mission: The association can create support programs for immigrants, explain what kind of country Türkiye is, and explain health, education and business life in detail.
Personal Struggle: I am someone who has difficulty here, I started working right away but I had to struggle to learn the language, go to school and continue. Nothing is easy but now I stand on my own two feet. My children are aware of their identity and culture and I believe they will build a good future. I believe your association will do an excellent job in raising awareness. Thank you for inviting me and I wish you success