A new law in Sweden is set to increase the requirements for obtaining citizenship, introducing income thresholds, longer residency periods, language criteria, and additional conditions before eligibility can be granted.
As reported by Swedish state broadcaster Sveriges Radio yesterday, the Riksdag, Sweden’s parliament, has passed the legislation that will take effect on June 6th this year.
Under the updated framework, the minimum residency period will rise from the current five years to eight. Applicants will also be required to meet an income benchmark of around 22,000 kronor per month (€2,037) before tax.
Further conditions will apply in relation to the applicant’s personal conduct, including requirements that applicants have no outstanding debts and no criminal record.
There are also plans to introduce requirements demonstrating knowledge of the Swedish language and society.
The measures will apply to all citizenship decisions issued from June 6th onwards, including those relating to applications submitted before that date, which includes more than 100,000 individuals who are currently awaiting a decision.
The passage of the legislation has led to political controversy, particularly around the manner in which it was passed.
According to Swedish state broadcaster SVT yesterday, opposition parties have accused the right-wing Sweden Democrats (SD) of violating the parliamentary pairing system during the vote.
This system – found in many parliaments around the world, including Ireland – is designed to maintain balance by pairing absent MPs with counterparts who agree to abstain in the interest of fair play. Despite this, the Tidö parties secured a majority after SD did not adhere to the arrangement.
Social Democrats group leader Lena Hallengren criticised the move and called for an apology, accusing the rightwingers of “cheating”.
The Green Party has also expressed concerns about future cooperation, with party leader Annika Hirvonen saying: “I find it hard to see how we can trust an agreement with them.”
Representatives from SD have defended their approach, stating that the outcome reflected broad public support for stricter citizenship rules, and indicating that it was a necessary move given the vital importance of the legislation, which they said was one of the most important laws passed in the current Government term.
The developments come against a broader European backdrop of debate around migration, integration, and citizenship criteria.
In Ireland, one can become a naturalised citiizen provided you have lived in the country for 5 out of the last 9 years, and have resided legally in the country for the 12 month period before your application. One must also “be of good character”, and citizenship by naturalisation is granted at the discretion of the Justice Minister.
In response to a question earlier this week, Tánaiste Simon Harris said that prolonged reliance on welfare among certain migrants would be a “cause of concern,” adding that sanctions can apply where individuals fail to engage with employment or training supports.
“The idea that anybody would be on the dole… and receiving unemployment benefit for that sustained period of time would indeed be a cause of concern,” Harris told Gript when asked about the matter.