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Research

Migration for whose benefit? Pakistani and Indian migrant communities’ remittance sending behaviour and integration in Finland and Sweden

Application summary

The present study undertakes a comparative examination of the migration dynamics, remittance behaviours, and integration experiences of Pakistani and Indian student migrants within the contexts of Finland and Sweden. This investigation spans both the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods, while also considering the impact of the Russian war. The research is grounded in a comprehensive 10-year-long ethnographic inquiry, which has been complemented by a series of interviews conducted prior to and following the pandemic, as well as informal dialogues held with Pakistani and Indian students. These interactions were conducted in various languages, including Urdu, Hindi, English, or Punjabi, in accordance with the preferences of the respondents. The geographical scope of this study encompasses Helsinki and Turku in Finland, as well as Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden. It is important to note that the existing body of literature on international student migration is notably deficient in its examination of remittance-related aspects. Moreover, there is a dearth of information pertaining to specific demographic groups and geographical locales, with many of these areas having received minimal or no scholarly attention. Despite not being among the countries with the highest numbers of international students globally, the significance of foreign students within the broader student populations of Finland and Sweden underscores the importance of investigating these countries more thoroughly. As of 2017, Finland and Sweden held respective rankings of 18th and 22nd in terms of the sheer number of international students they hosted.

I am a doctoral student at the University of Eastern Finland working on a Kone Foundation’s funded project, ‘Migration for whose benefit? Remittance sending and integration of Pakistani and Indian international students in Finland and Sweden’. As part of my PhD, I recently published on multistage migration patterns of international students from the two South Asian to Finland and Sweden countries. Most studies focus on migration from home-to-host and onwards from the study destinations. This study shows how replacing transnational focus on countries with a translocal on cities reveals an additional ‘intercity migration stage’ that occurs after the first home-to-host and before stay-or-leave stages.
The second article focuses on remitting practices of Pakistani and Indian student migrants. An analysis of a decade-long participant and non-participant observations and semi-structured interviews allow to challenge the general perception of student migrations as mere receivers of remittances. It applies Care Circulation Framework to show that they are receivers of (reverse) remittances at the first, senders at second, and often neither senders nor receivers at the third, advocating for a more holistic approach. The reviewers of the prestigious journal 'Population, Space and Place', recommended publication in May, 2025.
The third article titled ‘Between IT Engineer and Food Courier: Remittances Shaping Career Paths of South Asian Students in Finland,’ takes an innovative integration approach to analyze study-to-work transitions of student migrants. I submitted a revised version to the Global Networks on 17.06.2025. The fourth article, co-authored with Dr. Sanam Roohi, focuses on transnational accumulative precarity during a period of poly-crisis. Precarity research on students mainly focuses on the impacts of Covid-19 ignoring other simultaneous unfolding events such as Russian invasion. Global Networks journal requested minor revisions are completed.

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