He built a startup from the ground up in just six months, aiming to boost food security in northern Sweden and create local jobs. But less than a year later, Indian entrepreneur Abhijith Nag Balasubramanyam says he has been forced to sell his company and return to India, blaming what he calls a “hostile” and “xenophobic” immigration system.
The development comes at a sensitive time, as Sweden tightens its citizenship norms amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment.
In a strongly worded LinkedIn post, Abhijith said his departure was not voluntary but the result of prolonged hurdles posed by Sweden’s migration agency, Migrationsverket, which oversees residence and work permits.
“I have sold the company as I am being forced to leave the country by the end of this month. This isn’t an exit by choice. It is an eviction by an incompetent and increasingly hostile state apparatus,” he wrote.
Abhijith had founded Hydro Space Sweden AB in May 2025 in the city of Skelleftea. The microgreens venture focused on strengthening local food security in the region and, according to him, received encouraging feedback from customers.
However, even as the business began gaining traction, his immigration case took a turn for the worse.
“In return, I was met with a lack of transparency and a total absence of human decency from Migrationsverket,” he said.
Sweden has long projected itself as an innovation-driven economy open to global talent. But Abhijith argued that his experience exposed a gap between that image and reality. “The Swedish ‘startup-friendly’ narrative is a facade,” he wrote.
Ordeal with migration authorities
Detailing his interactions with the migration agency, Abhijith accused officials of “gross incompetence” and a lack of understanding of entrepreneurship. He alleged that there was little clarity on documentation requirements and that the grounds for rejection kept shifting.
“My experience with the Swedish migration agency wasn’t just a bureaucratic hurdle; it was a masterclass in systemic dysfunction and unprofessionalism,” he said.
He also spoke about the emotional strain of the prolonged uncertainty, saying it had severely affected his mental health. Rather than pursue a costly legal battle, he decided to step away.
“I do not have the energy or the desire to spend my capital fighting a legal system that is fundamentally broken and seemingly xenophobic,” he wrote, adding that he plans to return to India and focus on his well-being.
The Swedish migration agency has not publicly responded to his allegations.
His case surfaces as Sweden moves to further restrict immigration ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for September. Earlier this month, the country introduced stricter citizenship requirements, including extending the minimum residency period from five to eight years and introducing tougher language and cultural knowledge tests.