The criticism against the Swedish Migration Agency’s handling of asylum cases continues to grow. People with insight into the process report inadequate language skills among case officers, questionable assessments in cases involving converts, and a system vulnerability where interpreters can have significant influence over asylum interviews. Meanwhile, the agency dismisses these claims and maintains that the process ensures legal certainty. These accounts align with previous reporting from Samnytt and information from sources familiar with the agency’s operations.

The newspaper Världen idag has published articles in which people with experience of the asylum process criticize the Migration Agency’s work, including concerns about the case officers’ language proficiency and how the cases of converts are evaluated.

Previously, Samnytt published a series of articles about the agency based on inside sources, highlighting internal problems related to clan affiliations, family loyalties, and corruption, among other issues.

One of those criticizing the Migration Agency in Världen idag is Kenth Isaksson. Together with his wife, he has been a foster home for several unaccompanied youth from Afghanistan and has had extensive contact with the agency over the years. He claims that the quality of case handling is low.

– I have long experience of the Migration Agency from the negative side, he says.

Donald Holmgren claims the man has often encountered Muslim case officers and feels that his conversion to Christianity is not taken seriously.

From Världen idag

According to Isaksson, some case officers lack adequate education and experience. On one occasion, he found that an interview was conducted by an official whose Swedish was so poor that he himself had to help translate parts of the conversation.

– The officer asked such banal and irrelevant questions that the interview basically became useless, despite the fact that it was to form the basis for an official decision, he recounts.

In another case, he says a case officer openly stated that he was new and didn’t yet know which questions to ask in an asylum case.

Similar Cases – Different Decisions

Kenth Isaksson also points out how people with similar backgrounds can get completely different outcomes in the asylum process. He mentions four unaccompanied Afghan youths who, according to him, basically had the same background and reasons for asylum.

Two of them were granted residence permits in Sweden. The other two had their applications rejected and have since been on the run in France and Germany for about ten years. According to him, the decisions were “arbitrary” depending on the officer’s assessment.

There must be structures where assessments and systems are not affected by arbitrariness or that decisions are made with ethnic influence. Having just one officer making decisions can also be a problem.

Magnus Ranstorp, terrorism researcher, to Världen idag

Questions about arbitrariness in asylum evaluations have been raised in the debate before. Samnytt has reported in several articles about information from people with insight into the Migration Agency describing deficiencies in both routines and competence within the authority.

Convert Without Decision After Two Decades

Similar criticism is raised by Donald Holmgren, who for a long time has tried to help a Christian convert in an asylum process.

The man has now lived in Sweden for over 20 years without being granted residency. At the same time, he has been unable to leave the country because the country to which he is to be deported does not want to accept him.

Holmgren claims the man has often encountered Muslim case officers and feels that his conversion to Christianity is not taken seriously. Furthermore, he says the individual has felt persecuted by Migration Agency officers due to his faith.

READ ALSO: Voices from the Migration Agency: “It’s Not Just Corruption – It’s Serious Crime”

He also says that at a language café connected to a church, he has met many Syrian [Christian, ed. note] refugees who, according to him, have not faced the same difficulties in obtaining residency.

The issue of how converts are assessed in the asylum process has been highlighted in several inquiries. For example, a 2019 convert investigation from free church organizations pointed out problems with arbitrary assessments.

According to Samnytt’s sources, approximately 35 percent of Migration Agency staff are now Muslims.

Terrorism Researcher: Interpreters Can Have Decisive Influence

Swedish terrorism researcher Magnus Ranstorp works at the Swedish Defence University and has for several decades been one of Sweden’s most prominent experts on Islamist extremism and radicalization. He has repeatedly served as an expert for both Swedish agencies and international organizations and often appears in the media as a commentator on terrorism, jihadist networks, and security policy.

Ranstorp has researched groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah and how extremist environments organize in Europe. His analyses have had great impact in Swedish public debate, especially in discussions on radicalization, returning jihadists, and security after terrorist attacks in Europe.

His frequent expert appearances in the media have made him a central voice in Swedish discussions on terrorism and security.

READ ALSO: Half of the Migration Agency’s Interpreters Are Pure Amateurs

He believes that interpreters play a central role in the process since case officers often lack knowledge of the asylum seeker’s language. According to him, the officer is entirely in the hands of the interpreter.

– There must be structures where assessments and systems are not affected by arbitrariness or that decisions are made with ethnic influence. Having just one officer making decisions can also be a problem, Ranstorp tells Världen idag.

According to him, this creates a vulnerability. If the interpreter – for various reasons – influences how a story is conveyed, it can affect the outcome of the case.

Ranstorp therefore believes that the agency should perform spot checks and security vetting of interpreters to reduce the risk of conflicts of interest or undue influence.

READ ALSO: Former Director General of the Migration Agency Partly Heads EU Organization Demanding Asylum for IS Terrorists

Many of the problems now raised are also in line with previous Samnytt investigations into the Migration Agency. In a series of articles, an informed insider described how internal tensions and informal networks can sometimes affect both the work environment and decision-making processes.

Samnytt’s sources have pointed out how loyalties linked to ethnic, religious, or clan-based affiliations play a role in relationships between employees and in how cases are handled.

We do not map out whether our employees are religious or not. That would be foreign to us and moreover discriminatory.

Regional Director Johanna Essemyr Pauldin, Migration Agency, to Världen idag

At the same time, many asylum decisions are based on individual credibility assessments, which critics argue can lead to major differences in outcomes between similar cases.

Migration Agency Rejects the Criticism

However, the Migration Agency says it does not recognize the picture described by critics. Regional Director Johanna Essemyr Pauldin tells Världen idag that the agency has clear routines to ensure a legally secure process.

She notes that asylum cases are normally handled by at least two people – a case officer and a decision-maker – and that decisions can be appealed to a court.

READ ALSO: Migration Agency Refuses to Respond to Samnytt – Dismisses Staff Testimonies and Declines Interview

Regarding allegations that religious background would affect assessments, she says the agency does not map employees’ faith. According to Johanna Essemyr Pauldin, doing so would be “foreign” and “discriminatory.”

She also emphasizes that new hires undergo introductory training and probation, and that recruitment often requires a university or college degree.

Growing Debate on Legal Certainty

The criticism of the Migration Agency’s work is ultimately not just about individual case errors, but about how the system is constructed. In an asylum process, where critical decisions often rely on credibility assessments and interpreted accounts, minor variations in how an interview is conducted or relayed can have major consequences for the outcome.

At the same time, previous Samnytt reporting, as well as information from those with insight into the agency, has pointed to internal tensions, informal networks, and, in some cases, loyalties tied to ethnic or clan affiliations.

READ ALSO: Migration Agency Staff Are Not Swedish Citizens

The heavy reliance on interpreters for asylum interviews has also been repeatedly raised as a vulnerability in the system. With decisions that can have far-reaching consequences – both for individuals and Sweden’s overall migration policy – the issue of legal certainty in the process remains the subject of ongoing debate.