The Scandinavian country has made further moves to alter its once liberal immigration policies, following concerns about crime rates and social tensions.
Sweden’s government has announced plans to further tighten up the process for claiming asylum, following years of concern about soaring levels of immigration.
The Nordic nation, once regarded as ultra-liberal on immigration, will introduce more stringent citizenship rules with applicants facing an increased wait of eight years before they can apply, a minimum wage threshold, and a test of their understanding of Swedish language and society, the center-right government said on Monday.
“These requirements are much tougher than the situation as it is today because currently there are basically no requirements (to become a citizen),” Migration Minister Johan Forssell told reporters on Monday.
Applicants for citizenship will have to live in the country for eight years, up from five, receive a monthly income of more than 20,000 Swedish crowns ($2,225), and pass a language and culture test.
“It seems reasonable that you should know whether Sweden is a monarchy or a republic, if you want to be a citizen,” Forssell said.
Criminal Records
Those with criminal records, either in Sweden or abroad, will have to wait longer before they can apply, with the timeframe depending on the severity of the convictions. Someone who has served a four-year prison sentence, for instance, would have to wait 15 years before being eligible to apply for citizenship.
Although the number claiming asylum has fallen sharply since the historic high of 2015, the government, led by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, says more needs to be done to cut the number of people entering the country illegally.
The new rules on citizenship are expected to come into effect from June 6, and follow a series of measures from successive governments designed to reduce immigration since 2015, when around 160,000 people illegally entered and claimed asylum in the Scandinavian country.
New Rules for Asylum Claimants
The government announced last week that it would toughen requirements for those claiming asylum.
Under proposals announced on Friday, all those entering the country illegally will have to live in migrant reception centers while their cases are processed.
Those claiming asylum will have to prove they live in the centers in order to receive state benefits, as well as agree to travel restrictions, Forssell said on Feb. 6.
Soaring immigration has caused public reaction in Sweden, with a surge at the polls for parties pledging to be tougher on those entering illegally, chiefly the socially conservative nationalist party, the Sweden Democrats, led by Jimmie Akesson.
The current government is a coalition of centrist and right-of-center parties, propped up in parliament through an agreement with the Sweden Democrats.
Demand has grown for investigations into whether both asylum and legal immigration systems are being misused to seek generous social welfare benefits on offer in the country.
