Sweden launches new serious tightenings

The Swedish government now drastically restricts the rights for refugees as a reaction to the great influx

The restrictions are quite drastic, especially the scenario that less than half of the refugees will have access to family reunification, which is more restrictive than Denmark. 

• Only temporary residence permits will be given: convention status 3 year, protection status 1 year. Only resettlement refugees will get permanent residence permit.*

• To get permanent residence permit you will need a taxable salary you can live on

• Family reunification will only include nuclear family. Spouses  must both be above 21 years old. Only refugees with convention status will have access to family reunification (this year, out of the ones who have been granted residence only 39% have been granted this status).*

• Humanitarian residence permit will be given only in exceptional cases

• Age test will be used for unaccompanied minors in all cases where documentation for the applicant's age is missing

• Control of ID papers in all public transport to Sweden, ie all ferries, trains and busses between Denmark and Sweden.

The law has not been passed yet.

During the last two months, 80,000 asylum seekers have arrived to Sweden. A roof over the head of the newcomers can no longer be guaranteed, and permanent housing can no longer be found for the ones who are granted asylum. The proportion of children is large, which means that what equals 100 new school classes have been opened every week. The amount of doctors, teachers, interpreters, psychologists and case workers can not keep pace at all. 

Link to the Swedish government's text in English here.

Sweden grants relatively few convention status, also compared to Denmark. This means that more than half will be given only 1 year of residence, and they will have no right to get their families to Sweden.

The change in humanitarian residence permit will probably mean that the majority of the unaccompanied minors from Afghanistan, which form a considerable part of the asylum seekers in Sweden, will be rejected in the future, in contrast to the 91% who got a permit to stay this year.

*) So far, 26,800 have been granted residence permit in Sweden in 2015. Of these, 10,400 had convention status, 15,100 protection status and 1,300 on humanitarian grounds and other reasons. Source: Swedish Migration Agency.