As The Local was first to report, just six applications for citizenship through naturalisation were approved in April, down from 3,234 in March.
This is because the Migration Agency has been unable to approve these kinds of applications for almost two months because they have yet to set up routines for the in-person identification, a key part of security checks the right-wing government coalition ordered in January.
READ ALSO: Swedish Migration Agency expects to resume approving citizenship applications 'soon'
The order came less than two months after the Sweden Democrats' leader Jimmie Åkesson argued in a joint article with the leaders of the three government parties that "measures should be taken to prevent more Swedish citizenships from being granted until new legislation comes into force".
Ludvig Aspling, the Sweden Democrats' immigration spokesman, told The Local that the freeze in awarded citizenships was "far from mission accomplished but a step in the right direction", and said he expected the security checks, once implemented, would also lead to fewer approvals.
"The new stricter and more meticulous process for applications will result in fewer, but more accurate decisions. Because of the security environment we’re in it’s completely necessary," he added.
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Sweden's Migration Minister Johan Forssell told The Local in January that people who had come to Sweden on a work permit or who came from stable countries without any security concerns should not be concerned that their applications would be delayed by the checks.
"I don't think that they should be worried at all," he said at the time.
Even when the in-person checks are launched, everyone will initially be affected. There are plans to have exceptions for certain nationalities with biometric passports, but the technology to enable that isn't yet in place. There's no information available on when that might be resolved.
When The Local asked Forssell's office for a response to the fact that the security checks had so far not lived up to his promise and were now affecting applicants from all countries, a spokesperson recommended that we contact the Migration Agency.
“The minister’s answer was linked to the government’s order to address and detect security risks in citizenship cases,” she said. “The Swedish Migration Agency is currently designing how the security checks will be carried out. For questions about their ongoing work, it is best to contact the authority directly.”
Annika Hirvonen, the immigration spokesperson for the Green Party – a member of the centre-left opposition – told The Local that it should have been obvious from the start that the new security checks being ordered would have an impact on most applicants.
"I'm not sure if he's being misleading on purpose or if he just doesn't really understand how these processes actually work," she said. "If you put into place intentional obstacles on processes that are for everyone, of course it's going to affect everyone."
For foreigners waiting for a decision on citizenship, every month of delay matters. If a pending application is not approved before major citizenship reforms are expected to come into force in June 2026, it will be assessed under new rules. Among other things, the new rules require that applicants have been living in Sweden for eight years to be eligible rather than the current five.
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