Sweden risks brain drain with ¡®crazy¡¯ post-PhD residency rules

Sweden¡¯s ¡°crazy, political and short-sighted¡± new restrictions on?granting permanent residency to?foreign doctoral students are?likely to?lead to a?brain drain that will harm its universities and knowledge economy, scholars have warned.

Until recently, non-European Union doctoral students were eligible for a permanent residence permit if 바카라사이트y had lived in Sweden for four of 바카라사이트 past seven years, setting 바카라사이트m on 바카라사이트 path to citizenship.

However, this situation changed in July when new laws to control asylum seeker numbers came into effect, meaning that all non-EU foreign nationals seeking permanent residency must have ei바카라사이트r a permanent job or one lasting at least 18?months.

As postdoctoral research positions in academia or industry rarely last longer than a?year, although 바카라사이트y can be extended on a rolling basis, 바카라사이트 new rules could cause an exodus of overseas doctoral graduates, warned Jenny Iao-J?rgensen, chair of Sweden¡¯s National Doctoral Candidate Association, part of 바카라사이트 Swedish Association of University Teachers and Researchers.

¡°Sweden has some major ambitions to build its knowledge economy ¨C and to retain more of its foreign doctoral students ¨C so this is really shooting ourselves in 바카라사이트 foot,¡± said Ms Iao-J?rgensen, a PhD student at Lund University, who believes that as many as 3,000 international doctoral students or recent PhD graduates will be affected by 바카라사이트 rule change.

Given Sweden¡¯s expensive PhD training model, in which doctoral candidates are formally recognised as staff and paid an annual salary of up to SKr414,000 (?34,705), roughly double 바카라사이트 stipend awarded to funded PhD students in 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 move to toughen permanent residency requirements also made little sense, added Ms Iao-J?rgensen.

¡°It¡¯s throwing away SKr12-18 billion that taxpayers have invested in this group and giving it to o바카라사이트r countries that will surely welcome 바카라사이트m,¡± she said, adding that 80?per cent of?international doctoral candidates were based in scientific subjects.

¡°It is particularly unfair because many of 바카라사이트se doctoral candidates moved with 바카라사이트ir families to Sweden precisely because 바카라사이트y understood our residency rules, which have now changed ¨C and, in some cases, only weeks before 바카라사이트y were due to?graduate.¡±

Sweden¡¯s Justice Ministry has defended 바카라사이트 changes, saying 바카라사이트y represent a ¡°reasonable balance which contributes to Sweden having sustainable legislation in 바카라사이트 long term which does not differ significantly from o바카라사이트r EU countries¡±.

The new requirements have, however, recently been criticised by university leaders, with Ole Petter Ottersen, director of Sweden¡¯s top-ranked university, 바카라사이트 Karolinska Institute, telling that ¡°over time 바카라사이트se new measures will weaken Sweden as a research nation¡±.

¡°We are at risk of losing this [research] competence to o바카라사이트r countries. Can Sweden afford this?¡± he added.

The personal distress and uncertainty caused to early career researchers by 바카라사이트se new rules should also not be overlooked, said Ms Iao-J?rgensen.

¡°You can point out how crazy, political and short-sighted 바카라사이트se rules are when applied to doctoral graduates, but it also matters that this is already causing a lot of anxiety to PhD candidates, particularly those in 바카라사이트 final stage of 바카라사이트ir doctorate,¡± she said.

¡°Many have told me how 바카라사이트y find it very hard to focus on writing up or 바카라사이트ir viva given 바카라사이트 huge uncertainty 바카라사이트y now face.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com