I used to live in Umeå, so I can tell you from first-hand experience (as an American). It wasn't easy. Everything people say about America's immigration policy

I used to live in Umeå, so I can tell you from first-hand experience (as an American). It wasn't easy. Everything people say about America's immigration policy being "racist" are also true about Sweden - with exemptions only for those seeking asylum. The Nordic countries in general actually aren't that easy to immigrate to. In my case, I basically had to prove a level of wealth that for 99% of the population of the world wouldn't be possible. (It was actually recommended to me to BUY a house before I was allowed to permanently move!) By comparison, moving to Germany was a breeze and I still have a valid German green card to this day. In retrospect, this is almost obviously true when you compare the demographics of both countries. Sweden is more homogenous than Germany by far despite offering social benefits that are substantially more valuable.