Enrollment and patterns of participation in Swedish for immigrants (SFI): timing, duration, and selectivity

Abstract In Sweden, as in most Western countries, language proficiency is widely recognized as a key component of immigrant integration, supported by initiatives such as the publicly funded language program known as Swedish for Immigrants (SFI). Yet, little is known about when immigrants enroll in SFI and how patterns of participation in SFI unfold over time. Using longitudinal register data and focusing on immigrants arriving in Sweden between 2000 and 2016 with a ten-year follow-up, this study examines both the timing of initial enrollment, using Kaplan–Meier survival estimates, and subsequent participation in SFI until exit analyzed with a discrete-time event-history model. Results reveal a clear temporal pattern in enrollment, with most immigrants starting SFI relatively early after arrival and enrollment declining sharply after the first three years, highlighting this period as the most common for initial enrollment. Subsequent participation in SFI shows substantial selectivity over time, with immigrants who have higher education and income, the youngest participants, and those receiving parental benefits exhibiting a higher hazard of exiting SFI, indicating shorter participation. In contrast, women, unemployed individuals, those at risk of poverty, parents of younger children, and immigrants with a foreign-born spouse have a lower exit hazard and remain in SFI for longer period. Language background is strongly associated with subsequent participation in SFI and immigrants from all other language groups exhibit significantly lower exit hazards compared with migrants from Germanic-language countries. Differences by migration category are evident but modest. Overall, the findings show that different groups engage with SFI courses differently over time, with demographic, socioeconomic characteristics, household composition, and migration-related factors influencing patterns of subsequent participation, potentially reflecting a combination of motivations, inequalities, and challenges in accessing SFI and integration opportunities.