Photo: Saaya Sorrells-Weatherford
In a world that feels increasingly interconnected, navigating immigration can still be a daunting task. For Saaya Sorrells-Weatherford, co-founder of the Swedish startup Emigreat, this journey is both personal and professional. Born to American-Japanese parents, Saaya has lived in multiple countries, encountering numerous obstacles in the immigration process. Today, from her home in Gothenburg, Sweden, she is working to make immigration more accessible, less isolating, and fairer for everyone.
From Tokyo to Gothenburg
Saaya’s journey to becoming an advocate for immigrants began long before she co-founded Emigreat. “Even though I was born and raised in Japan, I was always on a residence permit,” she explains. That sense of being a “temporary resident” stayed with her through her life, as she lived in several countries around the globe for work, eventually starting a successful dive center with her husband in Honduras. After selling the business in 2019, they moved to Sweden, her husband’s home country. It was here, ironically, that she faced one of her toughest immigration challenges.
“I thought moving to Sweden would be smooth,” she says. “Even at the Swedish embassy in Guatemala, they told me my case was so cut-and-dry, I’d get a decision right away.” However, instead of a quick resolution, Saaya found herself stuck in bureaucratic limbo. After waiting 12 months for a spousal permit, she was forced to leave Sweden and was stranded abroad for over three months—during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It wasn’t even because of COVID,” she notes. “The spousal permits typically take 11 to 20 months. It’s one of the longest processes.”
That experience—along with her struggle to find a job once she was back in Sweden—cemented Saaya’s understanding of how difficult and isolating immigration can be, even in an open society like Sweden. “More than my own immigration story, the inability to get a job afterward sparked my interest in Emigreat,” she says. Despite having a well-rounded resume and having successfully ran a business, she found it difficult to even secure internships. “I went through the process that a lot of newcomers in the Nordics go through: Should I change my name to something more Nordic-sounding?”
For Saaya, these personal hurdles illuminated a widespread issue. “Ultimately, that’s why you have so many companies started by immigrants—because no one wants to hire them,” she says. So, instead of changing her name or giving up, Saaya joined forces with co-founder Anali Molina, originally from the Dominican Republic, to build something that could truly make a difference.
Emigreat’s co-founders Anali (l) and Saaya (r). Photo: Nina Tuma, Connect Sverige Region Väst
Emigreat: Bridging the Information Gap
Emigreat was born from the shared experience of two immigrants who faced the overwhelming complexities of relocating to Sweden. The startup offers a software platform designed to simplify the, often, frustrating process of immigration for companies and their international hires. “We started out as a relocation agency,” Saaya explains, “working with companies, automating what we could.” The goal was simple: reduce the uncertainty and bureaucratic strain companies face when hiring international talent, and help immigrants understand their rights.
Today, Emigreat operates as a B2B platform aimed at HR professionals. “We help companies understand their candidates’ and employees’ right to work in Sweden,” Saaya says. International employees can also upload documents, track deadlines, and gain a clearer understanding of their timelines and legal processes through their own dashboard.
This work is essential in a country where the number of immigrants has surged, with approximately 1.5 million people arriving in Sweden over the past decade (though this number is expected to stagnate due to Sweden’s current stricter policy on immigration). This includes a diverse range of immigrants, including asylum seekers, family reunification cases, as well as labor migrants from in and outside of the EU, where the latter need work permits. In 2022, for example, Sweden granted about 40,000 work permits, many of which were to highly skilled individuals, particularly in sectors such as IT, engineering, and healthcare.
Back to Emigreat. The real mission goes beyond merely improving efficiency. Emigreat’s ultimate goal is to democratize immigration by providing transparent access to vital information for anyone navigating the system. “We want to close the information gap,” Saaya says passionately. “Between the government, which makes the immigration rules, and the people actually impacted by them.” For example, Saaya receives calls about people who have their work permit extension rejected, because they worked too much overtime, which is illegal by Swedish law. Often neither the company, nor the international employee know about this. “We can prevent situations like these, for example by flagging overtime early on in payslips, so companies dare to continue hiring skilled workers from abroad without the fear of having to let them go early on, and migrants won’t have this massive stone weighing on their shoulders when they wait for decisions later.” By offering real-time legislative updates and building a comprehensive immigration history for individuals, Emigreat hopes to empower more people to confidently navigate their way to residency, citizenship, or permanent work status.
An Advocate for the Voiceless
As a female founder with a minority background, Saaya has firsthand experience with the challenges many immigrants face—not just in securing a visa but also in navigating the labour market. In a previous interview with Dagens Industri, she emphasized that “this issue goes beyond immigration policy. We need to talk about integration, inclusion, and building community,” highlighting her commitment to these causes.
Photo: Saaya Sorrells-Weatherford
Her efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. In 2023, she was named Sweden’s top Female Founder, a recognition that validated her mission. In our interview, she reflected on the significance of the award, saying it “meant much to be seen by people who were there.” However, she remains pragmatic about its long-term effects, noting that while it provides visibility, it hasn’t instantly opened new doors for her company.
One of the most rewarding aspects of her job, she says, is providing emotional support to those navigating the immigration process. “I do 30-minute consultations with individuals,” she shares. Topics include bureaucracy related to their work rights and duties, but also things like deciphering the Swedish tax system and BankID, as well as day-to-day struggles such as where to find good Asian supermarkets. “People are often just happy there’s someone to talk to about their situation. It’s a lonely process, and to hear someone say ‘you’ve answered all my questions, I feel so much more secure now,’ is why I do this.” This human touch, combined with the technical prowess of Emigreat, is what truly sets the company apart.
Breaking Barriers for a Diverse Future
Despite the progress Emigreat has made, Saaya acknowledges that the road ahead is still filled with challenges. In Sweden, only 2% of venture capital funding goes to companies founded by women, and the odds are even lower for women with a minority background. “In the Swedish startup ecosystem, so much is about networks—who you know,” Saaya says. As an immigrant founder, breaking into those networks took time, and fundraising has been slow. “Still, I was in a privileged position, as I’ve had the possibility to sustain myself during this period, but many other immigrants don’t have that opportunity. They don’t have time to spare at conferences and building a network.”
Emigreat’s ambition isn’t just to help companies navigate Swedish immigration laws—it’s to transform the global immigration process. “Our goal is to be a global platform,” she says. The company has already expanded to offer a portal for international students in Sweden, helping them make informed choices about their studies and their future job prospects—a tool they plan to introduce to the rest of the Nordics as well. But they plan to do even more. Saaya envisions a B2C-platform where anyone, anywhere, can input their nationality and skills, and Emigreat will match them to countries where they can thrive.
Building More Than a Business
Looking ahead, Saaya Sorrells-Weatherford is focused on growing Emigreat’s reach, but she also emphasizes a key, often overlooked aspect of immigration: the well-being of partners and families who move for work. She offers valuable advice to (future) international entrepreneurs in Sweden: prioritise the socialisation and mental health of partners. “Typically, when families move over, it’s a very lonely experience for the spouse,” she notes. While the primary applicant may have a job to engage with, partners often find themselves isolated at home. According to Saaya, this is one of the main reasons immigrants eventually leave Sweden. “Make sure they don’t get overly isolated. I’ve heard it countless times from friends that moved in with their Swedish partner, that they didn’t do enough for them to help them find friends.
Saaya herself was fortunate—her husband, having lived outside of Sweden for 15 years, had to remigrate himself and was, maybe because of that, committed to helping her build a social network. “He took that as a big challenge,” she says, reflecting on the support she received.
Her main advice? “Don’t underestimate how isolating it can be. Even for entrepreneurs: find other entrepreneur friends, because within the startup world, people understand your hours and frustrations. It’s important to create a support system.”
With a clear vision and a commitment to empowering others, Saaya Sorrells-Weatherford is reshaping the immigration landscape in Sweden, emphasising that “every talented person should have the chance to contribute and thrive, no matter where they come from.”
