"If we don't do something about the shadow society, it will take hold and be cemented," Migration Minister Johan Forssell told a press conference announcing the new bill.
His party, the Moderates, along with the Liberals, Christian Democrats and Sweden Democrats, eventually overcame their disagreement in November 2024 to decide on which public authorities would be subject to the new obligation to report migrants in Sweden without permits.
The new bill will now lift the barriers to information exchange for the Swedish Tax Agency, Public Employment Service, Enforcement Authority, Social Insurance Agency, Pensions Agency, and the Prison and Probation Authority.
The proposal – referred to by its critics, and fairly widely in the Swedish media, as angiverilagen ("the snitch law") – has been one of the most divisive in the Tidö agreement, the pact formed by the three governing parties plus the Sweden Democrats after the 2022 election.
The Sweden Democrats in particular originally wanted the law to also include employees in healthcare, schools, and social services – which the Liberals strongly opposed.
Asked whether employees who fail to comply with the new rules could face reprisals, Forssell said: "If it doesn't work, other measures might be necessary going forward, but today we have no reason to believe that that's going to be the case."
Police will also be given increased powers to check a person's permits. Today, a "reasonable reason" to suspect that a foreigner lacks the right to be in Sweden is necessary to conduct a permit check, but after the law comes into force, officers will need only a "reason".
Officers will also be allowed to carry out house and body searches in more cases than today to confirm a person's identity, and search their mobile phone to find their documents.
According to the government, more than 100,000 people may be living in this "shadow society" in Sweden today. That group includes everyone from criminals and people who could be threats to national security, to people who are exploited on the labour market.
The new law is, if approved by parliament, set to come into force on July 13th.
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