Long gone are the days when Sweden prided itself on being one of the most generous countries with asylum and immigration. Now, hardly a week goes by without the governing majority – made up of the liberal-conservative right and the far-right Sweden Democrats – announcing new restrictions. The latest, presented on Tuesday, January 14, by Immigration Minister Johan Forssell, concerns citizenship. Instead of five years, you will need to have lived in Sweden for eight years to qualify for naturalization, not have received minimum social benefits for more than six months out of the last three years, lead "a decent and honest life," and pass a test on the role of the media.

In addition to these new conditions, a whole series of other obligations have been imposed in recent years, relating to language skills and knowledge of Swedish society. "The granting of Swedish nationality is something to be proud of, and should be awarded to people who have made an effort to integrate into our society and who have behaved properly during their stay here," said Forssell on Tuesday.

On Friday, Forssell welcomed the latest immigration figures. In 2024, the kingdom of 10 million inhabitants registered just 9,645 asylum applications, "the lowest figure since 1996," Forssell was pleased to report, taking care to point out that only 6,250 residence permits were granted for asylum or family reunification, for relatives of refugees: the lowest figure since 1985 when statistics began.

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