Sweden's conservative government has announced plans to further tighten citizenship requirements as the Nordic country continues to reverse course from previous open border policies that fundamentally changed the country.
Following a report from Stockholm immigration inspector Kirsi Laakso Utvik, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's conservative coalition of moderates and the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats has announced that becoming a Swedish citizen by June next year will become even more difficult. Announced.
One of the main measures to be implemented will increase the number of years of residence before being eligible to apply for citizenship from the current standard of five years to eight years, the Swedish newspaper reported. aftonbladet report.
In addition, the government will introduce financial self-sufficiency requirements and an “honest living” obligation, including a ban on applicants with criminal records or large debts in Sweden or abroad. According to to times.
“Becoming a Swedish citizen must mean something,” Immigration Minister Johan Forssell said at the time of the announcement.
“It should be something you strive for and it should be proof that you are working and contributing to society. Simply put, it is something you deserve,” he said.
The government did not accept a proposal by coalition partner Sweden Democrats to require a “declaration of allegiance to the state” when taking the citizenship oath, but the populist party said it was satisfied with the outcome so far. I'm saying Income requirements were the most important measure for them.
The move to limit citizenship comes amid a broader effort by Sweden's conservative-populist government to crack down on immigration. The government came to power in 2022 amid growing recognition of the errors of its 2015 decision to open the floodgates to mass immigration.
Sweden, a broadly homogeneous society for centuries, has undergone dramatic changes as a result of the former left-wing government's open borders policy, with an astonishing one in five citizens now living abroad. being born.
The influx of foreigners into the country has coincided with a sharp increase in crime, with gangs run by immigrants and foreigners wreaking havoc across Sweden and in neighboring countries such as Denmark. In contrast to its former reputation as one of the safest countries in the world, Sweden is now crime-ridden.
According to study According to a professor at Sweden's Lund University, in 2023 the Nordic country will become the “bombing capital of Europe” with frequent explosions of explosives as a result of gang wars. The university noted that Sweden remains second only to Mexico in terms of the number of explosions.
But the failures of the multicultural experiment have not gone unnoticed, and Stockholm's right-wing government has taken steps over the past two years to reverse course. pay for immigrants To return to my hometown.
Additionally, Stockholm is cracking down on the influx of alleged asylum seekers. This week was like this announced Last year, only 6,250 asylum-related residence permits were issued in Sweden, the lowest number since 1985. The number of asylum seekers entering the country also fell last year, to 9,645, the lowest level in nearly 30 years.
Immigration Minister Forssell welcomed the decline, saying it was a result of government restrictions and growing global recognition that Sweden is no longer an open border country. But, he added, “I think we need to continue to reduce. The changes we make need to be sustained over time.”
