Web test helps people interested in becoming Swedish

The Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) has added a new feature to its website that allows people to determine whether or not they qualify for Swedish citizenship.

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By answering a handful of simple questions, people who are thinking about becoming Swedish citizens can learn whether or not they qualify before filling out the paperwork and paying the 1500 kronor ($183) application fee.

“With this test you can check if you fulfill the requirements and avoid applying unnecessarily,” said Jan Olov Wallin, a director with the agency, to the Metro newspaper.

The test, dubbed Medborgarskapsguiden (‘The Citizenship Guide’), consists of a series of questions about a person’s age, current citizenship, and residency in Sweden.

After answering the questions (which are in Swedish), people are given an indication as to whether or not they qualify to apply to become a Swedish citizen.

Migrationsverket stresses that those who pass the test should not assume they will automatically be awarded citizenship.

Rather, the test is meant to provide "an indication which can help those who are interested decide whether it’s worth submitting in an application to Migrationsverket or not”.

Not only does the test have the potential to spare people who don't meet the basic requirements for citizenship the time and expense of filing an application, it can also save Migrationsverket employees from having to process faulty applications, thus helping to reduce the overall time it takes for applications to be processed.

“We hope that it makes things easier for us,” said Wallin, who added that processing times now average about two months, down from the two-year wait applicants could expect just a few years ago.

In recent years, Sweden has accepted about 50,000 new citizens every year.