Although he has lived in Borås all his life, 28-year-old Amir has had his application for a permanent residence permit rejected.
One of the reasons is that his connection is not considered sufficient.
– I have built my life here and see Sweden as my homeland, says Amir Mohammadi.
He came to Sweden as a 15-year-old. Then as a relative immigrant when his father had already moved here. He learned Swedish, went to high school, has had a number of different jobs and temporary residence permits since then.
Among other things, he has worked as a truck driver, security guard and in the armed forces.
Soon to be a firefighter
Soon he will be a fully trained firefighter and by the summer he has got a job at the rescue service in Gothenburg. If he’s still there.
After several years of trips and appeals, the Swedish Migration Agency and the Migration Court are now denying him a permanent residence permit.
– I have tried to do everything to become as Swedish as possible. I could speak pure Swedish already after one year in one year and was able to start high school with normal Swedish students after two years. It should be classified as a successful integration, says Amir.
Afraid of being persecuted
Amir is afraid of what could happen to him in Iran, as he is bisexual and no longer a devout Muslim.
But the Swedish Migration Agency and the Migration Court have questioned both his sexual orientation and atheism. They question why he didn’t tell about it earlier. And they do not believe that he has told enough about his experiences to make it likely that it is true.
They suspect that it may be a ulterior motive for allowing him to stay. And the fact that he traveled to France to work for the Foreign Legion a few years ago means that they believe that he does not have a sufficiently strong connection to Sweden.
– We have taken into account that he intended to settle in another country and left Sweden for a period. This means that we cannot conclude that he has a sufficient connection, says Jesper Tengroth, press manager at the Swedish Migration Agency.
Registration started
Now fellow students and friends have started a petition to stop the expulsion.
– I think it’s incredibly boring, says best friend for over ten years, Oliver Carlsson. I’m losing my best friend and we don’t know what’s going on.