Legal certainty is threatened with new requirements for citizenship • “A symbol of my belonging, security, identity”
Over 88,000 people are currently waiting for information on whether they can become Swedish citizens, one of them is sociologist Murtaza Nazari, 24, who came to Sweden as an unaccompanied teenager.
A settlement between the Tidö parties could make the wait significantly longer – something that arouses criticism from the legal profession and creates concern among those who have applied.
– We have legislation and the principle is that the current law is the current law and it must be applied, says Lars Olsson, chief legal officer at the non-profit organization Asylrättscentrum.
Today, one needs to have lived in Sweden between five and eight years in order to become a Swedish citizen. The longer time applies to people who come from, for example, Afghanistan whose ID documents are not accepted in Sweden.
The government and the Sweden Democrats want to significantly tighten the requirements, and in January an investigation will make proposals on, among other things, language requirements, requirements for honorable conduct and longer periods of stay. But since it takes at least a year before those rules come into force, the parties have agreed to try to prevent new citizenships from being issued as early as next year.
– Until the new rules are in place, it is also important to slow down the process so that not too many are granted according to this generous regulatory framework that we have today, says the Sweden Democrats’ migration policy spokesperson Ludvig Aspling.
A symbol of belonging, security and identity
Nine years have passed since Murtaza Nazari came to Sweden as an unaccompanied teenager. Now he has applied for Swedish citizenship and that is a big deal for him.
– It means a symbol of my belonging, safety, identity and that I can vote and choose my own leader, says Murtaza Nazari to TV4 Nyheterna.
He is from Afghanistan and needs to have lived in Sweden for eight years in order to apply for citizenship according to current requirements. Because he works in social services and studies extra to be able to work in crime prevention with the police, Murtaza Nazari worries that without citizenship he cannot achieve the goals of his dreams.
– I have no power, and they show that you who have come here, you who pay taxes or work, you have no right because you do not belong to Sweden.
The government is planning deeper checks
TV4 Nyheterna has spoken to several centrally located sources in the government office and the consensus is that the government plans to give instructions to the Swedish Migration Agency about deeper checks that could lead to pending applications being delayed.
– It must be legally sustainable, says a centrally located source who also states that a proposal is expected to be ready shortly after the turn of the year.
But the idea of delaying processes raises questions from the legal side. Several legal experts have warned that the government risks violating the constitution. And organizations that help asylum seekers are critical.
– We have legislation and the principle is that current law is current law and it must be applied. If people have submitted an application for citizenship, it must be processed in the usual manner in a legally secure manner, says Lars Olsson, chief legal officer at the non-profit organization Asylum Court.
Is there a risk that this will not be legal?
– That could be it. An important principle of legal certainty is that asylum processes must be predictable, and they must be in accordance with the law. Another thing is that the handling must be fast and efficient.
The parties in the government cooperation reject the criticism. The Sweden Democrats’ Ludvig Aspling believes that it is reasonable that people may have to wait a little longer.
– I don’t see it as a big problem. Their everyday life is not affected to any great extent, the same rules apply to those who live in Sweden with a residence permit compared to those who are citizens, he says.