The Swedish Parliament has approved a government bill that further tightens the country's migration policy and eliminates the possibility of granting permanent residence permits to asylum seekers and other immigrant groups included in the reform.
The new legislation will enter into force on July 12. From that moment on, individuals affected by the new rules will only be able to receive temporary residence permits. Those who have already been granted permanent residency will retain their current status and will not be affected by the change.
Although temporary permits had already become the standard route in Sweden, the reform goes a step further by closing the door to certain groups being able to convert that permit into permanent residency. The Swedish Executive thus seeks to reinforce control over the stay of foreigners in the country.
The decision comes amid growing concern over violence linked to criminal gangs. For years, Sweden has been grappling with serious problems involving shootings, score-settlings, and clashes related to drug trafficking networks, many of which are composed of individuals of immigrant origin. According to police data released in May, 23 bystanders unconnected to these gangs have been killed and another 30 have been injured in gang-related shootings over the last three years. Authorities maintain that these victims were not the direct targets, but were instead hit by stray bullets, mistaken for other people, or attacked because of their connection to members of criminal circles.
The Swedish police have also warned of an increase in the recruitment of minors by these organizations. Gangs use social media and encrypted messaging applications to recruit teenagers, offering them money in exchange for carrying out attacks or participating in violent actions. One of the factors that most concerns authorities is that many of these recruits are under 15 years old, the minimum age of criminal responsibility in Sweden. This circumstance makes them particularly useful profiles for criminal networks, as they cannot be prosecuted through the ordinary criminal justice system. The government had proposed lowering that age to 13, but ultimately dropped the proposal due to a lack of sufficient support in Parliament. The Minister of Justice, Gunnar Strömmer, announced that the Executive will now work on an alternative to set it at 14 years old.
The approved migration reform adds to other recent decisions aimed at individuals linked to organized crime. The Swedish Migration Agency had previously revoked the permanent residence permits of 11 individuals with strong connections to criminal networks and long stays outside the country. According to authorities, these individuals resided in places such as Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, or Spain. By losing their permanent residency, they also lost access to the Swedish welfare system and became subject to greater restrictions on doing business or moving freely within the Schengen area.
With this new law, Sweden consolidates a restrictive shift in its immigration policy, shaped by social pressure regarding insecurity, the rise of youth gangs, and the Executive's determination to reinforce controls over those seeking protection or residency in the country.