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Medical evidence is introduced when health conditions are invoked as legally relevant circumstances in asylum cases. Although research shows that medical evidence can affect asylum outcomes, we lack systematic knowledge of how it is assigned legal relevance, especially for mental health conditions.

The study draws on 175,394 asylum decisions issued by the Swedish Migration Agency in 2016, 2018, and 2020, selecting cases (N = 1021) referring to medical certificates concerning post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using a coding scheme, three researchers coded decision texts. The codes were used in logistic regression analyses and χ2 tests to examine whether and how the PTSD diagnosis and medical certificates (including formalities) affected credibility assessments and the likelihood of being granted a residence permit (28.5% positive).

Our results indicate that medical evidence had no uniform legal effect unless assigned a function within the decision-making process. When the PTSD diagnosis was used in credibility assessments (18%), it influenced outcomes (χ2 = 134.48; p < 0.001), with OR = 30 for a positive decision when explaining credibility problems and OR = 0.36 when failing to do so. In contrast, the PTSD diagnosis was referred to in 85.9% of cases when assessing eligibility for a residence permit, with significantly lower odds (OR = 0.02) upon explicit mention. The formalities of the certificate showed no effect.

These findings demonstrate context-dependent functions of the PTSD diagnosis in asylum decision-making, with divergent effects in credibility assessments and residence permit determinations, showing that clinical relevance does not necessarily translate into legal relevance.

When the Swedish Migration Court of Appeal adjudicates a case, it establishes both a case-specific norm and a general norm for future legal application, transforming individual circumstances into legally valid statements. This dissertation examines how this textual process is realised in guiding child asylum cases, focusing on the establishment of norms for exceptions to expulsion and re-entry bans for unaccompanied minors in the precedents MIG 2009:8, MIG 2009:9, and MIG 2015:23. Adopting a social constructivist perspective, the study conceptualises language as a means of structuring experiences, defining interpretive boundaries, and generating normative significance. The analysis integrates a legal-linguistic framework with intertextual and social semiotic theory to examine how text structure, voice distribution, and grammatical choices interact to recontextualise legal reasoning within the precedents.

The study demonstrates how text structure shapes the legal process by integrating actor statements and legislative voices into a sequential structure. The Court transforms a heterogeneous set of materials into a legal decision in which each sequence performs a distinct function: case texts establish the grounds for adjudication, legal texts define the interpretive framework, and the judgment determines the final interpretation. The thematisation and distribution of reasons across sequences determine their legal weight, thereby establishing the conditions under which knowledge is transformed into a norm. This process constructs an epistemic hierarchy, assigning greater weight to some voices while restricting others’ capacity to define valid knowledge.

The analysis further investigates how polyphony operates both as a structural challenge and as a resource for justice in assessing children’s legal status. Grammatical analysis demonstrates how ideational, interpersonal, and textual resources shape voice distribution and epistemic authority, and how language-ideological principles in asylum adjudication privilege certain expressions and experiences. These principles create interpretive hierarchies that can diminish the impact of children’s narratives; however, the study also shows that such narratives can retain legal weight when corroborated by adult actors, even without being reformulated into adult-normative terminology.

The findings demonstrate how text structure, voice distribution, and grammatical choices influence legal norm formation, and underscore the importance of preventing marginalisation by consciously managing these elements. They provide insights for strengthening the legitimacy and fairness of precedents through greater transparency and the inclusion of relevant perspectives, thereby enhancing legal certainty, particularly in cases involving vulnerable groups.

Medical certificates for the Swedish Migration Agency are vital documents to prove injuries or illnesses claimed in the asylum process. Our purpose is to provide guidance on the legal bases for the use of medical evidence in the asylum process. To illustrate, we give examples from our study of 74 decisions with medical certificates. Cases were identified from a random sample of 500 files from 590 000 asylum decisions made by the Swedish Migration Agency 2006-2022. Medical certificates were not unanimously taken into account in decisions. For high evidentiary value, the certificates should demonstrate the physician’s competence, be based on verifiable sources and include a detailed prognosis and the effects of not receiving adequate treatment. Importantly, certificates can also be used to undermine the patient’s trustworthiness if the certificate fails to prove or contradicts claims made by the applicant.

Läkarintyg bidrar till bedömningen av skyddsbehov och humanitära skäl för uppehållstillstånd.

För att ha högt bevisvärde ska intyget tydliggöra läkarens kompetens, baseras på verifierbara källor, ge en prognos samt beskriva effekterna av utebliven behandling.

Läkare bör använda Migrationsverkets mall och säkerställa att intyget uppfyller alla formella krav för att stärka patientens ärende.

Sedan 1963 har det vid olika universitet i Sverige och Finland regelbundet anordnats sammankomster för svenskans beskrivning. Vid dessa har forskningsresultat som rör svenska språkets uppbyggnad och användning presenterats och diskuterats.

Den trettiosjätte sammankomsten ägde rum den 25–27 oktober 2017 i Uppsala. Temat för konferensen, som samlade runt 200 deltagare, var denna gång Varför svenska? Ambitionen var att på olika sätt belysa, problematisera och tydliggöra svenska språkets innebörd, roll och betydelse inom vetenskap, skola och samhälle. Sektionsföredragens ämnesmässiga spännvidd var som vanligt för konferensserien stor och föredragen berörde de flesta områden inom ämnet svenska språket.

I denna volym publiceras i bearbetad form 27 av de föredrag som hölls vid sammankomsten. Den ger därmed en god överblick över aktuell forskning om svenska språket. Alla som vill följa den senaste utvecklingen på området finner här mycket av intresse.