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This is a sociological qualitative study focusing on the process of adult newcomers' integration in Sweden, which is currently a highly debated topic within Europe. Despite institutional support being recognized as crucial for successful integration, research highlights groups' varying outcomes in integration. Previous quantitative work, such as by Khaef (2024), has identified various pathways that refugees follow regarding further education and the labor market. This dissertation seeks to complement such findings by providing a qualitative understanding of how these trajectories are shaped by institutional support, focusing specifically on the role of a language education program called SFI (Swedish for Immigrants).

Using a qualitative methodology, the study conducts semi-structured interviews with SFI teachers and with adult newcomers from Ethiopia and Eritrea who have participated in SFI to gather rich and detailed narratives from both sides about their lived experiences and perceptions of institutional support and SFI. The data is analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns in the narratives. The research explores participants' experiences regarding SFI's effectiveness and limitations, focusing on how it is perceived to support access to further education, employment, and broader social inclusion. The study also examines the role of other support institutions, such as the Public Employment Service.

By connecting these micro-level experiences to the broader context and Bourdieu's theoretical concept of capital (1986), as well as Ager and Strang's (2008) domains of integration, the study provides insight into how institutions influence the diverse pathways of integration. The findings discuss how SFI contributes to developing language proficiency in Swedish but may not be as effective in facilitating the transition to employment for all newcomers. The concepts of social bonds, bridges, and links, further connected to Granovetter's work on strong and weak ties, and Bourdieu's social capital, are used to understand how newcomers build connections within their own groups, with the wider host society, and with state institutions, and that these connections impact their journey towards integration, particularly in developing language skills and accessing the labor market.