Getting permanent residency might get harder

The suggestion is that permanent resident permit should only be granted to those foreigners who can fulfil the specific requirements of Swedish language and civics test.   

A new proposal is under the consideration of the Swedish migration department. The proposal is a part of a major report by a parliamentary migration committee. The committee was assigned to suggest new migration laws, to replace the temporary migration laws which are going to expire next summer.

To clarify - it has been proposed but has not yet been accepted by the government.

There are many obstacles in the way to make it replace the current laws, such as other parties which are against or do not support this proposal. If it gets the green signal to be approved and come in action from next summer, it would be a major change for many foreign residents who would like to have a permanent resident permit. As of now, in Sweden there is no language test is required so it would be a major change for those foreigners who are supposed to get their permanent resident in coming year.

There will be be some exemptions
It is proposed that children and people who are entitled to have national pension or any other pension should be exempted from the new requirements. There are other options for exemptions too.
 
How would the knowledge of language and civics be tested?
It is not yet clear how an applicant will be tested for the requirements. A possibility is, given organising tests may be too resource-intensive, a link to the applicant passing a Swedish For Immigrants (SFI) level C course.

A separate inquiry into introducing language and civic tests for citizenship applicants is on its way too. The Migration Committee would wait for that and then come up with detailed idea of how language and civics knowledge could be assessed.
 
The Migration Committee`s report contains several sub-proposals, so we might see some of them in place next summer but not all. As the language requirement is a completely new measure, there may be separate investigations into the suitability of language and civic tests.

If you are already here or considing moving to Sweden, this is something to keep an eye on.
 
What do you think about the new Migration law proposals? Comment below to tell us your views.

Don't forget to join www.newinsweden.com for more information about moving and living in Sweden.