At 32, Hazem Ashour is a celebrated entrepreneur in Sweden, having been honoured in 2021 by King Carl XVI Gustaf for his contributions to the tech industry.
Ashour, originally from Egypt, co-founded Hemavi, a platform that helps exchange students find housing in Sweden, during his studies at Lund University in 2020.
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The company quickly grew, attracting tens of thousands of users and securing over ten million kronor in investments.
Yet, despite his successful track record, Ashour is now embroiled in a fight to remain in the country he has come to call home.
Hemavi: A successful business story
Hemavi was founded on October 15th, 2020, by Ashour and his business partner and has since become a respected player in the international relocation industry.
As Ashour told The Local after regional newspaper Sydsvenskan first reported his story, the company was created with the aim of transforming the experience for international students and young professionals moving across borders.
“We wanted to provide them with safe housing, friends with similar interests, and administrative support in their new country,” Ashour said.
The company’s journey began with a strong start.
In November 2020, just a month after its founding, Hemavi secured its first investment of 615,000 kronor.
By December of the same year, Ashour had signed his first employment agreement with Hemavi and submitted a work permit application to the Swedish Migration Agency, after taking on the role of CEO.
Hemavi’s growth accelerated in June 2021 when the company raised an additional 4,050,000 kronor.
This influx of capital allowed Hemavi to expand its team and begin the development of its core tech platform.
As the company scaled, Ashour’s salary was adjusted to 30,000 kronor, reflecting the increased demands of his role.
In November 2021, Ashour’s entrepreneurial efforts were recognised when he was awarded the HMK Kung Carl XVI Gustafs pris Årets Nybyggare (“settler of the year”), honouring him as one of southern Sweden’s top foreign entrepreneurs.
The year 2023 marked a significant turning point for Hemavi.
The company transitioned from offering free services to generating revenue, earning 890,000 kronor for the first time.
This success was bolstered by a new investment of 3,000,000 kronor in October 2023.
As Hemavi prepared to expand geographically, particularly with its planned launch in Copenhagen, Ashour’s salary was increased to 35,000 kronor in November 2023, then to 42,000 kronor in December 2023.
In 2024, the company continued to expand, successfully launching in Copenhagen and achieving a growth rate of 2.5 times year over year. Hemavi also secured a pilot programme with one of Japan’s largest real estate conglomerates, enabling it to list thousands of properties in Tokyo for expats, Ashour told The Local.
At risk of deportation
The initial success convinced Ashour to stay in Sweden and apply for a work permit in late 2020. However, several years later, he finds himself at risk of deportation.
After nearly three years of waiting, the Swedish Migration Agency rejected his application in December 2023, citing that his salary as CEO was too low compared to industry standards.
This decision came at a time when Ashour had been unable to leave Sweden for almost three years due to the pending status of his application.
In November 2023, Ashour was earning 35,000 kronor per month – just below the agency’s benchmark of 40,000 kronor for CEOs. Sweden’s minimum salary threshold for work permits currently stands at 28,480 kronor, but salaries should also be in line with industry standards, meaning the threshold is higher for some professions.
Although he raised his salary to 42,000 kronor before the agency made its final decision, the increase wasn’t considered in its ruling.
Ashour, who says he had deliberately taken a lower salary to reinvest in his company, appealed the decision – with success. His appeal led to the annulment of the initial ruling, and the Swedish Migration Agency is now re-examining his case.
“The court has annulled the Migration Agency’s decision that my salary is insufficient and referred the case back to the Migration Agency for further processing. The court has ruled that I have presented evidence in the form of, among other things, employment contracts, pay slips, and transaction receipts,” Ashour said.
“The documents show that I have received the stated salary of 42,000 kronor since December 2023,” he added.
Despite this, Ashour noted, “the Migration Agency ignored this evidence in their decision and our first and second appeal.”
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Ashour’s case also involved a disputed claim by the Migration Agency, which stated that they had sent him a letter on August 31st, 2023, informing him that the lowest market salary for his profession was 39,000 kronor and offering him an opportunity to respond
However, Ashour clarified, “I informed them in my appeal that this is incorrect, and I have never received such a letter.”
The Migration Court found that case documents showed returned envelopes received by the Migration Agency on September 21st, 2023, contradicting their claim that the letter had been successfully sent.
A ‘super frustrating’ process
Ashour has been unable to travel to meet with international investors or visit his family for nearly four years, leaving him in limbo.
The prolonged process has significantly affected his personal and professional life.
In an email to The Local, Ashour conveyed deep frustration with the lengthy and challenging work permit process he has faced.
“Of course, it’s super frustrating! I don’t think words can properly describe how this whole process feels,” he said, highlighting the emotional toll it has taken on him.
“It took me, an entrepreneur recognised by the king and running a tech company valued at 40 million kroner, over three years, countless unanswered phone calls and emails to the Migration Agency, and an appeal to the migration court just to get my salary approved – something that should have been straightforward from the start.
“I moved to Sweden almost six years ago, completed my studies, and built a company that employs people, pays taxes, and provides a service that people appreciate. Yet, in return, I’m being treated like a criminal. It just doesn’t feel right!” he said, adding that his personal life has largely influenced his decision to stay in Sweden.
“If I didn’t have a girlfriend here, I would have probably moved the company somewhere else by now,” Ashour said.
Despite the recent victory in court, he remains concerned.
“It’s worth mentioning that this is not the end of it. The Migration Court sent the case back to the Migration Agency to review the rest of the components of my employment conditions, such as the insurance, vacation days, and others,” he said.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t take the Migration Agency another three years to do that.”
Proposed changes to Sweden’s immigration policies
As Ashour awaits the outcome of his case, Sweden is also reviewing its broader immigration policies.
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Proposed changes include a wage requirement for work permits that matches 100 percent of the median wage in Sweden.
However, the proposals also suggest that certain occupations might be exempt from these new rules, with any changes expected to take effect in June 2025.
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