Precarious Residence? A study on the Impact of Restrictive Migration Policy on Migrants’ Subjective Well-Being and Stress
Migration policy in the Nordic welfare states is increasingly marked by restrictiveness. Although research has studied the consequences of this policy trend, there is limited knowledge about how it affects stress levels and the well-being of migrants. In this study, we examine the impact of a policy...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Helsinki University Press
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Nordic Journal of Migration Research |
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| Online Access: | https://account.journal-njmr.org/index.php/uh-j-njmr/article/view/853 |
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| author | Kristoffer Jutvik Emma Holmqvist |
| author_facet | Kristoffer Jutvik Emma Holmqvist |
| author_sort | Kristoffer Jutvik |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Migration policy in the Nordic welfare states is increasingly marked by restrictiveness. Although research has studied the consequences of this policy trend, there is limited knowledge about how it affects stress levels and the well-being of migrants. In this study, we examine the impact of a policy change implemented in Sweden in 2016 that resulted in the swift abandonment of permanent residence. To conduct our research, we use survey data to compare differences in self-stated levels of stress and well-being among those granted permanent residence status according to the pre-2016 policy and those granted temporary residence according to the new policy. Our findings indicate a significant difference in well-being between the two groups, with those granted temporary residence permits experiencing lower levels of well-being as well as more stress related to their own and their family members’ status. Importantly, we conclude that a lower sense of well-being is correlated with higher levels of stress connected to residence status. These results have important implications for evaluating the impact of the new migration policy in Sweden and assessing similar policy trends in other contexts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2f635f5ebd1f4d89b2623f7a4a7e0565 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1799-649X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Helsinki University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nordic Journal of Migration Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-2f635f5ebd1f4d89b2623f7a4a7e05652025-08-20T02:55:54ZengHelsinki University PressNordic Journal of Migration Research1799-649X2025-02-0115410.33134/njmr.853829Precarious Residence? A study on the Impact of Restrictive Migration Policy on Migrants’ Subjective Well-Being and StressKristoffer Jutvik0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1283-1501Emma Holmqvist1https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2054-3873Department for Migration, Ethnicity and Society (REMESO), Linköping UniversityInstitute for Housing and Urban Research (IBF), Faculty of Social Sciences, Uppsala UniversityMigration policy in the Nordic welfare states is increasingly marked by restrictiveness. Although research has studied the consequences of this policy trend, there is limited knowledge about how it affects stress levels and the well-being of migrants. In this study, we examine the impact of a policy change implemented in Sweden in 2016 that resulted in the swift abandonment of permanent residence. To conduct our research, we use survey data to compare differences in self-stated levels of stress and well-being among those granted permanent residence status according to the pre-2016 policy and those granted temporary residence according to the new policy. Our findings indicate a significant difference in well-being between the two groups, with those granted temporary residence permits experiencing lower levels of well-being as well as more stress related to their own and their family members’ status. Importantly, we conclude that a lower sense of well-being is correlated with higher levels of stress connected to residence status. These results have important implications for evaluating the impact of the new migration policy in Sweden and assessing similar policy trends in other contexts.https://account.journal-njmr.org/index.php/uh-j-njmr/article/view/853residence permitwell-beingasylum policyrefugeesrestrictive migration policysweden |
| spellingShingle | Kristoffer Jutvik Emma Holmqvist Precarious Residence? A study on the Impact of Restrictive Migration Policy on Migrants’ Subjective Well-Being and Stress Nordic Journal of Migration Research residence permit well-being asylum policy refugees restrictive migration policy sweden |
| title | Precarious Residence? A study on the Impact of Restrictive Migration Policy on Migrants’ Subjective Well-Being and Stress |
| title_full | Precarious Residence? A study on the Impact of Restrictive Migration Policy on Migrants’ Subjective Well-Being and Stress |
| title_fullStr | Precarious Residence? A study on the Impact of Restrictive Migration Policy on Migrants’ Subjective Well-Being and Stress |
| title_full_unstemmed | Precarious Residence? A study on the Impact of Restrictive Migration Policy on Migrants’ Subjective Well-Being and Stress |
| title_short | Precarious Residence? A study on the Impact of Restrictive Migration Policy on Migrants’ Subjective Well-Being and Stress |
| title_sort | precarious residence a study on the impact of restrictive migration policy on migrants subjective well being and stress |
| topic | residence permit well-being asylum policy refugees restrictive migration policy sweden |
| url | https://account.journal-njmr.org/index.php/uh-j-njmr/article/view/853 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kristofferjutvik precariousresidenceastudyontheimpactofrestrictivemigrationpolicyonmigrantssubjectivewellbeingandstress AT emmaholmqvist precariousresidenceastudyontheimpactofrestrictivemigrationpolicyonmigrantssubjectivewellbeingandstress |