It has been almost five years since the great refugee crisis in 2015 when 162,500 people sought asylum in Sweden.

To make it possible for unaccompanied minors to remain during school hours, the new Upper Secondary School Act was introduced in 2018, but it was quickly criticized for a difficult-to-achieve set of rules.

In Umeå, there are currently around 20 unaccompanied young people who are threatened with deportation as they have not yet fulfilled the requirement for permanent employment within six months of completing their education.

The organization Vän i Umeå has tried to help the young people, but Åsa Norin, business manager, says that it is soon too late and that the uncertainty affects them negatively.

- I do not think you understand how waiting affects people.

Not all people were able to cope with that process, we have seen both mental illness but also that some have taken their lives.

Everyone has been exposed to an unreasonably large strain, she says.

"Unreasonable demands"

Åsa Norin believes that most of the unaccompanied young people have managed to support themselves after high school, but that they go on various forms of temporary work, which is not enough according to the regulations.

- Now it is required that young people get a permanent job or a temporary position for at least two years, which must not be subsidized by the employment service, also during corona times.

These are completely unreasonable demands, she says.

SKR criticism of the "unclear" upper secondary school law

In a letter from Sweden's municipalities and regions (SKR) in October last year, sharp criticism was directed at the new upper secondary school law.

Among other things, SKR writes that there are very few opportunities for the young people covered by the law to meet the regulatory requirements for a permanent job within six months of completing their education.

SKR also criticizes how the law affects municipal activities and that the municipalities have received some support to be able to cope with the extra educational efforts required.

See more from the interview in the clip above.