"I've been in Sweden for eight years in December. There have been days that I felt really bad. I couldn't do anything. Now it feels better. Now it feels best," says Mohammad Haidari.
Mohammad is an Afghan citizen. In 2015, he left his mother Rahela and at the age of 14 he began the journey via Iran, Turket, Greece and then on through the Balkans, Austria, Germany to Malmö.
Going to see mom again
During the time that he has been waiting for a decision on an extended residence permit, he has not been able to leave Sweden. Now he has booked a trip to see his mother and sister who live in Iran again.
"It's been almost eight years since I met them. I haven't told them I'm coming because I don't want them to wait for me. I just want to go there and surprise her. She'll run and hug and kiss me. She will not let me go," says Mohammad Haidari.
Want to get a car
Mohammad Haidari currently has a permanent job as a ventilation fitter at the University Hospital in Lund and works extra at an LSS accommodation in Malmö.
"I'm going to continue to build my own life, my own family. I have already got an apartment and will maybe get a car in the future," says Mohammad Haidari.