Ghader enjoys his job, and the residents at Miklagård appreciate him. "Helping them makes me happy," he says.
Ghader Shafai, 24, began working at the special housing facility Miklagård in Malå in June last year. This career choice came about when a friend who worked there suggested he leave Dalarna, where he lived at the time, and seek a summer job in elderly care in Malå.
Following his friend's advice, Ghader applied and got a summer job, which went so well that he received a permanent position at Miklagård after six months.
But the journey to this point has been far from straightforward, and Ghader's future is now very uncertain.
He explains that he came to Sweden as a refugee from Afghanistan during the rise of the Taliban in 2015:
– We had a war with the Taliban and my father was killed. That's when we had to leave.
When he arrived in Sweden, he was subjected to an interview with the Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) and an age check. It was the beginning of a years-long struggle to stay in the country. Migrationsverket doubted Ghader's age, and it's this issue that dogs him still.
Since then, he has received several deportation orders, the most recent and decisive just over a month ago.
– Where am I going to go now that the Taliban are in power in Afghanistan? I'm an atheist now. I don't believe in religion. They will see my passport and say, 'Your father fought against us,' Ghader says, adding:
They will kill me.
He says he feels very unwell, has difficulty sleeping, and has nightmares every night.
Ghader has settled well in Malå and has both friends and an apartment here.
At the same time, he has the support of colleagues, supervisors, the municipality, and the volunteers of Team W, who demonstrate for the right to asylum with their black umbrellas on the square in Malå every Saturday.
This support has also been crucial as a last resort, as he applied to "change track" (see below for explanation of this term) to obtain a work permit in Sweden.
– I hope it goes well, but I can't be sure it will, says Ghader.
What will happen if it's a "no"?
– I will lose everything I have. They can't send me back either.
And if you are allowed to stay?
– As a first step, I will train to become a nurse's assistant. Then I will continue working, get a driver's license, and live like a regular person.
What makes you enjoy working in elderly care so much?
– Helping them makes me happy. I couldn't take care of my father, but now I get to be like a son to parents. We laugh together, and I don't just give them food; I try to do something active, to bring them joy.
The group that has been advocating for the right to asylum on the square in Malå since May 2021 has become involved in Ghader's case.
Ghader is not alone in his situation. John Olsson, the head of social affairs at Malå municipality, says he is aware of a few cases where individuals who are, or have been employed, in the municipality's elderly care have either received deportation notices or have been deported.
This not only affects those individuals but also impacts Malå as an employer.
–The consequence is, of course, that we find it more challenging to staff our operations, notes Olsson.
He describes the recruitment situation as quite good overall. However, he also estimates that about one-third of the staff is foreign-born.
How would elderly care in Malå function without them?
– Not at all. We are entirely dependent on foreign-born individuals in our operations.
How do you view the fact that individuals who are integrated, employed, and needed are being forced to leave the country?
– It's very regrettable.
Lennart Gustavsson (V), the municipal councilor, also expresses criticism:
– I think it reflects an unreasonable policy. In our part of the country, at least, we need every capable person who can and wants to work in elderly care, he says.
Pontus Andersson Garpvall from Helsingborg is the Sweden Democrats' member of parliament for Västerbotten. He responds to Norran's questions via email:
How do you view the issue of people who have come here as refugees, established themselves, found jobs, contribute to society, and are needed, yet face deportation?
– A significant portion of the working-age population is unemployed, and work in elderly care doesn't require extensive training. The main focus must be to get those individuals who have the right to stay in Sweden into employment.
Do you see any conflict in this matter?
– The conflict I see is that we have many people born abroad who aren't working but are still allowed to stay in Sweden. I would rather see these individuals leave the country than those who are actually contributing.
Both the head of social affairs and the municipal councilor in Malå are critical and argue that everyone is needed, and elderly care wouldn't function without foreign-born workers. What would you like to say to them?
–That the situation is a consequence of decades of poor policies. Hundreds of thousands of working-age individuals with foreign backgrounds in Sweden are unemployed. The government's priority must be to prioritize those individuals who have the right to stay in Sweden and get them into employment.
The problem isn't limited to elderly care and Malå – many inland municipalities are grappling with recruitment problems, and with the green industrialization happening in Västerbotten and Norrbotten, the competence supply and the need for migration are described as the biggest challenges. Do you share this view?
– There is no example in Sweden where high immigration of low-skilled labor has led to a positive development. The competence supply needed due to industrialization can absolutely be solved by the influx of highly-skilled labor, but also by voluntary relocation of individuals when the economic difference between being on benefits and having a job increases.
What signals do you receive regarding the competence shortage when you are in the county?
– It's just like in large parts of Sweden; there's a significant mismatch in the labor market. People are unemployed even though there are available jobs that don't require extensive training.
How would you solve the competence supply issue in Västerbotten?
– It starts in school, where career advisors must be even clearer about which professions quickly get young people into work, but also to provide students with realistic visions of the future. The economic difference between being on benefits and having a job needs to increase; the government will introduce a benefit cap, and taxes will be lowered for workers and retirees. It must be worthwhile to work.
** 'Track change' (or 'spårbyt' in Swedish) allows migrants to switch statuses to temporary workers after rejection of asylum claims or previous studies without having to return immediately to the country they left.