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full screen Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, (M) at Wednesday’s press conference. Photo: Samuel Steen/TT
The government wants to tighten the requirements for citizenship for young people who have committed serious crimes.
– Citizenship should be something you deserve, says Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M).
Today, young people under the age of 21, who have lived in Sweden since they turned 13, can be granted Swedish citizenship through a simpler procedure, so-called registration. Then no test is made as to whether the person had an honest way of life.
The government now wants to remove that option for those who have committed crimes with a maximum penalty of at least four years on the penalty scale or have committed repeated crimes that are not too far back in time. The same applies to those deemed to pose a threat to Swedish security.
The amendment to the law will come into effect on October 1, 2024. Those who are subsequently stopped from obtaining citizenship through notification will still be able to apply for citizenship. Then, however, their way of life is tested and if they have committed serious crimes there is a waiting period before they can apply.
There are no statistics on how many young people have committed crimes and still obtained citizenship through notification. In contrast, approximately 90,000 people were granted citizenship through notification in 2018–2023.
In order to protect young people against honor oppression, the government also wants to change the law to prevent relatives from forcing young people to renounce their Swedish citizenship. It will be easier to reject an application to renounce citizenship if such suspicions exist.