Aussie coffee entrepreneur and champion barista is kicked out of Sweden after being caught in anti-immigration red tape
- Coffee entrepreneur and award-winning barista has been forced out of Sweden
- Brisbane-born Steve Moloney moved to Sweden to pursue a relationship in 2012
- Mr Moloney started a coffee business but now may have to leave it all behind
- The Swedish Migration Agency currently has a backlog of work visa applications
A coffee entrepreneur and award-winning barista has been forced out of Sweden as the nation cracks down on immigration laws.
Brisbane-born Steve Moloney moved to Sweden to pursue a relationship with a Swedish woman in 2012.
At the time, he entered on a holiday visa, but fell in love with the nation and decided to make the move abroad.
He returned on a partnership visa before the relationship fizzled and he applied for a working visa, but he told the Sydney Morning Herald it took a 'whopping' two and a half years for the application to be processed and his visa granted.
Brisbane-born Steve Moloney moved to Sweden to pursue a relationship with a Swedish woman in 2012
Mr Moloney, who has won international awards for his coffee blends and brews, opened a small coffee business in Sweden
Mr Moloney, who has won international awards for his coffee blends and brews, opened a small business in Sweden and is now faced with the prospect of having to leave it all behind for up to a year while his new work visa gets processed.
He said he applied for the visa more than a year ago, but the country's Migration Agency have only just told him they will not open his case to consider it until he has left Sweden.
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He did concede that the law states he was 'meant to have applied from outside the country', but argues that in doing so, he would have had to leave behind his business.
'It's not feasible. If I didn't love living here I'd pack up and go.'
During the refugee crisis, Sweden provided asylum to more displaced people in need than any other European country, including Germany.
He did concede that the law states he was 'meant to have applied from outside the country'
While Sweden is known for being welcoming of migrants, it has toughened security laws in recent years, seeing thousands of skilled migrants displaced.
Sweden is now reportedly deporting foreigners who have found success in the country to deter a mass amount of entrepreneurship.
In December 2018, digital developer Farzad Ban was reportedly deported after he failed to pay hundreds of dollars worth of insurance payments.
The failed transactions only came to light when he applied for permanent citizenship.
Mr Ban said the Swedish Migration Agency was working under a system that was 'unbelievably broken'.
The agency reportedly has a backlog of more than 10,000 work permit applications at present.
While Sweden is known for being welcoming of migrants, it has toughened security laws in recent years, seeing as many as thousands of skilled migrants displaced
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