Sweden’s Parliament approved legislation ending permanent residence permits for asylum seekers and other affected migrant groups, with the new rules set to take effect July 12.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Sweden’s Parliament has approved a government-backed immigration bill that eliminates permanent residence permits for asylum seekers and certain other foreign nationals, marking a major shift in the country’s long-term residency policy.
The new law, set to take effect July 12, means affected migrants will be eligible only for temporary residence permits. People who already hold valid permanent residence permits will keep their current status and will not be affected by the change.
The measure formally “eliminates the possibility of granting permanent residence permits to asylum seekers” and other immigrant groups covered by the reform, according to the submitted information. While temporary residence permits have become more common in Sweden in recent years, the new legislation goes further by blocking specified groups from later converting temporary stays into permanent residency.
The Swedish government says the change is intended to give authorities tighter control over the long-term legal status of foreigners living in the country. The policy comes as immigration, public spending, crime and national security remain central political issues in Sweden.
The debate over residency rules has intensified amid public concern about violence tied to criminal networks and the financial costs associated with large-scale migration. Recent data from Scandinavia, including figures from the Danish Ministry of Finance analyzed by the White Papers Policy Institute, has been cited by critics of current migration policy as evidence that Sweden and Denmark are spending billions on migrant populations.
Austrian MEP Harald Vilimsky cited data compiled by the White Papers Policy Institute and wrote on X, “The financial consequences of mass immigration. The White Paper Policy Institute also refers to the costs for Somalis in this context and concludes that Sweden will spend approximately 117.3 billion euros on the 102,000 Somalis living in Sweden over the next 50 years.”
Security concerns have also shaped the political environment surrounding the immigration measure. Sweden has faced shootings, gang retaliation attacks and drug-related turf conflicts in several cities, along with concerns about rape, gang rape and robberies involving foreign offenders, according to the submitted information.
Official police data published in May said “23 people outside these gangs have died and another 30 have been injured in shootings” linked to organized crime over the past three years. Authorities said those victims were not the intended targets in the attacks, but were caught in crossfire, struck by stray bullets, misidentified by attackers or targeted because of personal ties to gang members.
The new residency law comes alongside a broader government effort to address organized crime and the immigration status of people linked to criminal networks. The Swedish Migration Agency recently revoked the permanent residence permits of 11 individuals who authorities said had “strong connections with criminal networks and long stays outside the country.”
State authorities said those individuals were living abroad in countries including “Iraq, Lebanon, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, and Morocco.” After losing permanent Swedish residency, they also lost access to Sweden’s national welfare system and now face tighter limits on travel within the Schengen zone and on their ability to conduct business.
Supporters of the new law view it as part of a stricter approach to migration and public security. Critics of Sweden’s conservative coalition government, however, say the reforms do not go far enough to reduce immigration or reverse policies they say helped create long-term integration and security problems.
The July 12 implementation date will begin a new phase in Swedish immigration policy, under which affected asylum seekers and other covered migrant groups can remain in the country only on temporary permits unless future legislation changes the rules again.
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