The language and social skills requirement that was investigated according to the January agreement, and which the government must implement, will bring Sweden closer to developments in the rest of Europe – where several countries tightened their requirements during the 2000s.
But the government wants to go further, and has proposed another investigation to tighten the requirements.
– None of these proposals are particularly dramatic in themselves, but on the other hand it is unusual for a country to make all these demands at the same time, says Andreas Johansson Heinö, PhD in political science and publisher at the market liberal think tank Timbro.
“Lack of debate”
He thinks there is a lack of debate around the new policy:
– When the People’s Party proposed rather mild proposals 20 years ago, there was strong opposition and they were accused of being xenophobic. Now we have quite radical proposals, not xenophobic but radical, which are met with almost no resistance at all.
If Sweden was “record lax” in the past, isn’t it reasonable to catch up now instead of settling into a European middle lane?
– If the purpose is to be a deterrent, then there is a point.
– But this is also in a context where the requirements for residence permits are already being tightened… The motives behind legislation are almost as important as how it is designed. Is the purpose to make it easier for people to enter society, or is the purpose to deter?
The Minister: Shouldn’t be too simple
The government plans to make a decision on directives to the inquiry this summer.
– There is a legitimate interest in the fact that it cannot be too easy to become a Swedish citizen. It needs to be revalued both legally and symbolically, the migration minister said recently.