No shit, Scandinavia was called the rape capital of Europestan. They woke up
Migrants will have to prove they respect Western values, demonstrate 'honest living' and pass a test on Swedish society and values under country's tough new rules to earn citizenship
Sweden has unveiled tough new requirements for citizenship as part of tighter immigration rules aimed at integrating migrants and upholding the country's values.
The government said on Tuesday it wanted to toughen the rules for obtaining Swedish nationality, with a probe recommending 'honest living' as a prerequisite.
It also recommended extending the required duration of time spent in the country prior to obtaining citizenship - increasing to eight years from the current five.
Those seeking citizenship would also have to pass a test on Swedish society and values, and do a language exam, according to the government-ordered probe.
'Citizenship must be earned, not be handed out unconditionally,' Migration Minister Johan Forssell said in a post on Instagram.
Forssell told a press conference that citizenship also helped tie people of disparate backgrounds together under 'a common Swedish identity'.
He said it was 'crucial' to 'always be very clear about the values that must apply in Sweden'.
'Family is important but it does not stand above the law. There is equality between the sexes. You can marry whoever you want.
'Girls and boys have the right to swim and play football. If you don't accept that, Sweden is not the country for you,' the minister said.
Following a large influx of asylum seekers to Sweden during the 2015 migrant wave, successive left- and right-wing governments have tightened immigration and asylum rules.
Sweden stunned the world by taking in nearly 163,000 asylum seekers during the 2015 migrant crisis - the highest number per capita of any EU country.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's centre-right minority government, which is backed in parliament by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, has introduced ever harsher curbs since coming to power in 2022.
Reifying the importance of a 'common' identity, Forssell explained: 'This is particularly important at a time when Sweden has welcomed hundreds of thousands of people from many parts of the world in recent years.'
A probe ordered in 2023 also recommended tightening up the requirement for 'honest living'.
In concrete terms, this would mean it would be harder for a person who has committed a misdemeanour or a crime, or who has unpaid debts, to obtain Swedish nationality, said Kirsi Laakso Utvik, who led the probe.
Human rights organisation Civil Rights Defenders was critical of the proposal.
'Research shows that tougher requirements for citizenship do not increase the incentives for integration, but rather contribute to the exclusion of a growing group of people who find themselves in the country for a long time without the basic rights of citizenship,' the organisation's legal director John Stauffer told AFP.
The probe's conclusions will now be referred to various authorities and concerned parties for review, before the government drafts a bill.
The probe recommended that the new law come into effect on June 1, 2026.
Sweden once considered itself a haven for the war-weary and persecuted but has over the years struggled to integrate many of its newcomers.
Recent measures introduced to reduce immigration included granting of only temporary residence permits to asylum seekers, tightening family reunification criteria and raising income requirements for non-EU citizens seeking work visas.
The number of migrants granted asylum in Sweden dropped to the lowest level in 40 years in 2024, according to the country's government - the result of a decade-long crackdown on immigration.
Just 6,250 asylum-related residence permits were granted in the Scandinavian country last year, according to Forssell, who cited fresh statistics from the Migration Agency.
That figure does not include Ukrainians, who have been granted temporary protection throughout the European Union.
The number of people who applied for asylum in Sweden in 2024 was 9,645, the lowest since 1996 and down by 42 percent since 2022.
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Migrants will have to prove they respect Western values, demonstrate 'honest living' and pass a test on Swedish society and values under country's tough new rules to earn citizenship
Sweden has unveiled tough new requirements for citizenship as part of tighter immigration rules aimed at integrating migrants and upholding the country's values.
The government said on Tuesday it wanted to toughen the rules for obtaining Swedish nationality, with a probe recommending 'honest living' as a prerequisite.
It also recommended extending the required duration of time spent in the country prior to obtaining citizenship - increasing to eight years from the current five.
Those seeking citizenship would also have to pass a test on Swedish society and values, and do a language exam, according to the government-ordered probe.
'Citizenship must be earned, not be handed out unconditionally,' Migration Minister Johan Forssell said in a post on Instagram.
Forssell told a press conference that citizenship also helped tie people of disparate backgrounds together under 'a common Swedish identity'.
He said it was 'crucial' to 'always be very clear about the values that must apply in Sweden'.
'Family is important but it does not stand above the law. There is equality between the sexes. You can marry whoever you want.
'Girls and boys have the right to swim and play football. If you don't accept that, Sweden is not the country for you,' the minister said.
Following a large influx of asylum seekers to Sweden during the 2015 migrant wave, successive left- and right-wing governments have tightened immigration and asylum rules.
Sweden stunned the world by taking in nearly 163,000 asylum seekers during the 2015 migrant crisis - the highest number per capita of any EU country.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's centre-right minority government, which is backed in parliament by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, has introduced ever harsher curbs since coming to power in 2022.
Reifying the importance of a 'common' identity, Forssell explained: 'This is particularly important at a time when Sweden has welcomed hundreds of thousands of people from many parts of the world in recent years.'
A probe ordered in 2023 also recommended tightening up the requirement for 'honest living'.
In concrete terms, this would mean it would be harder for a person who has committed a misdemeanour or a crime, or who has unpaid debts, to obtain Swedish nationality, said Kirsi Laakso Utvik, who led the probe.
Human rights organisation Civil Rights Defenders was critical of the proposal.
'Research shows that tougher requirements for citizenship do not increase the incentives for integration, but rather contribute to the exclusion of a growing group of people who find themselves in the country for a long time without the basic rights of citizenship,' the organisation's legal director John Stauffer told AFP.
The probe's conclusions will now be referred to various authorities and concerned parties for review, before the government drafts a bill.
The probe recommended that the new law come into effect on June 1, 2026.
Sweden once considered itself a haven for the war-weary and persecuted but has over the years struggled to integrate many of its newcomers.
Recent measures introduced to reduce immigration included granting of only temporary residence permits to asylum seekers, tightening family reunification criteria and raising income requirements for non-EU citizens seeking work visas.
The number of migrants granted asylum in Sweden dropped to the lowest level in 40 years in 2024, according to the country's government - the result of a decade-long crackdown on immigration.
Just 6,250 asylum-related residence permits were granted in the Scandinavian country last year, according to Forssell, who cited fresh statistics from the Migration Agency.
That figure does not include Ukrainians, who have been granted temporary protection throughout the European Union.
The number of people who applied for asylum in Sweden in 2024 was 9,645, the lowest since 1996 and down by 42 percent since 2022.
Sweden unveils tough new 'honest living' requirements for citizenship
Those seeking citizenship would have to pass a test on Swedish society and values, and do a language exam, according to a probe ordered by the government
