Sweden to Tighten Rules for Family Reunification
KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Sweden plans to tighten conditions for family immigration cases.
2. The government will commission a special investigator to review regulations for granting residence permits based on family ties.
3. Sweden considers its current family immigration rules more generous than EU law requires.
Sweden's government plans to commission a special investigator to review the regulations for granting residence permits based on family ties. The goal is to make family immigration to Sweden more restrictive and efficient.
Amendments to the law were introduced last autumn to tighten family immigration conditions. The government believes the current rules are more generous than required by EU law and are complex and inconsistent.
Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard stated that extensive immigration and poor integration have led to significant challenges, including growing social exclusion. Tightening family immigration conditions is seen as essential for achieving a responsible, strict, and sustainable migration policy.
The Swedish government will commission an investigator to review how the rules can be further tightened. The investigator will examine subsistence requirements and other conditions for granting residence permits based on family ties. The investigation will aim for strict regulation that aligns with EU law while respecting Sweden's international commitments. This will include reviewing conditions for family immigration for individuals such as Swedish citizens.
The assignment, based on an agreement between the government and the Sweden Democrats, must be reported by August 25, 2025.
Stricter Conditions for Family Member Immigration and Restricted Residence Permits
Last year, the Swedish government consulted the Council on Legislation about proposals for stricter conditions for family member immigration and restricted possibilities for residence permits. Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard highlighted that extensive immigration and poor integration have led to significant challenges in Sweden. To address this, a number of measures are required, marking an important shift in Swedish migration policy to reduce immigration.
The proposals included raising the age limit for denying a residence permit based on personal ties from 18 to 21 years and removing provisions for granting residence permits under particularly distressing circumstances.