How will they handle everyone currently awaiting a decision, but not meeting the 8 year mark?
The government's new proposal extends the residency requirement from five to eight years as a general rule (although this is shorter in some cases, more on that below).
Migration minister Johan Forssell said in a press conference announcing the law that all applications will be processed under the new rules from June 6th.
This means that if you have not lived here for long enough under the new requirements, your application would be rejected if processed after June 6th – even if you submitted before that date.
Will application fees be reimbursed if our applications are rejected?
Rejected applications are as a general rule not refunded, so I think it’s safe to assume that they will not be refunded in this case either. You will most likely need to reapply once you meet the new rules and pay a new application fee (the inquiry proposed raising this from the current 1,500 kronor to 2,900 kronor for adults, but we don't yet know if the government will do this).
What happens to people who apply for citizenship after the law comes into force, but before the citizenship tests are ready?
The government has said that the citizenship tests would be introduced in two stages: civics in August 2026 and language in October 2027. Those are the first dates on which tests will be held, so this doesn't mean that everyone will be able to take a test as soon as they are available.
The government has also said that these rules will come into force on June 6th 2026 and they will apply to all cases ‒ even pending ones ‒ from that date.
In a written statement sent to The Local, a spokesperson for Migration Minister Johan Forssell confirmed that both the language requirement (set at B1 in the CEFR for reading and listening and a lower A2 for speaking and writing), and the civics knowledge requirement, would start to apply on June 6th.
This is despite the fact that the government has decided to delay the launch of the first language tests for citizenship to October 2027, and the launch of the first civics tests until August 2026.
"Given there will initially be no language test, it will only be possible for those applying for citizenship to demonstrate their knowledge of Swedish in other ways," the spokesperson wrote.
Has this law been passed yet? What are the next steps? Can anything be changed before it passes?
This is a lagrådsremiss, a draft of the bill which the government will submit to parliament. The next step is for it to be sent to the Council on Legislation. The Council on Legislation is responsible for analysing the legal aspects of a proposed government bill. The council can sometimes be very critical, informing the government that the law as proposed in unenforceable, against the constitution, or too vaguely framed for the courts to be able to interpret.
The government is free to ignore the Council on Legislation's advice ‒ it is a consultative body rather than a decision-making body.
After this, the law will be sent to parliament. It can theoretically change at this point, but the government has a majority along with the Sweden Democrats, so it is highly unlikely that the law will change when sent to parliament.
Does the self-sufficiency requirement apply to each applicant? Would my spouse also need to meet it?
Yes, the new self-sufficiency requirement (20,000 kronor per month pre-tax) is per applicant ‒ even if your combined household income is more than this, both applicants will need to meet this requirement, including non-working spouses. There are exceptions for full-time students and people of pension age.
There is not currently a self-sufficiency requirement for citizenship applicants.
Will there be exceptions for partners of Swedish citizens like in the current system?
Yes.
The residency requirement will be raised from five to eight years, with the following exceptions:
- stateless applicants will need to live in Sweden for five years (up from four)
- refugees will need to live in Sweden for seven years (up from four)
- previous Swedish citizens, people married to or living with a Swede and young adults will need to live in Sweden for seven years (up from three in the case of partners of Swedes)
Note that you will need to have been married to or living with your Swedish partner for at least five years, and they will need to have been a Swedish citizen for at least five years.
Does this impact citizenship via notification for children?
This new proposal will remove the possibility for children to apply for citizenship via notification. We've gone into this issue in more detail here.
Are there exemptions for the language and civics tests?
Yes, although it looks like it will be difficult to take one of these tests and receive results before June 6th. We've gone into more detail on this question in this article.
Do you need to have been self-sufficient for the entire period you've been living in Sweden?
No. The proposal states that your income should "ha en viss varaktighet", which more or less means that you should have met the self-sufficiency requirement for some time. There is no text demanding that applicants must have met the self-sufficiency requirement for the entire time they've been living in Sweden.
We don't know exactly how long applicants will need to have met the self-sufficiency requirement, and it looks like it will be left open for the Migration Agency to interpret.
Will we have to pay the difference if they raise the application fee now?
There is nothing to suggest that people who have already applied for citizenship will need to pay the difference between the current fee and the new fee. This should mean that if you've already applied to the Migration Agency then you won't have to pay the new fee unless your application is rejected. In that case, you would need to reapply, paying the new fee.
I'm eligible for citizenship now. Is it worth applying?
It's hard to say, and depends on your personal situation. Processing times for citizenship applications varies widely ‒ some receive a response within weeks while others wait for years.
Ultimately it's up to you to decide whether you're comfortable with the possibility that your application could be rejected after June 6th if you don't meet the requirements after that date.
I just started studying after years working in Sweden and now don't meet the self-sufficiency requirement. What does that mean for my case?
The government mentioned in the press conference that certain groups, including students, will be exempt from the self-sufficiency requirement. You won't be expected to fulfil the self-sufficiency requirement if you're studying full-time at university (or a vocational course at a högskola) or at gymnasium.
Do you have a question you want us to look into? Comment below and we'll try and find an answer.
You can also watch The Local's Publishing Director explain the changes in the video below.
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Richard Orange, Nordic Editor, The Local
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