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Sweden’s government has faced growing criticism over its plans to require migrants to adhere to “honest living,” with rights groups and legal experts saying the proposed measure is discriminatory.
Sweden’s government, which came to power in 2022 on pledges to get tough on immigration and crime, is trying to rapidly push through a slew of reforms ahead of legislative elections in September.
If approved by parliament, the “honest living” measure would come into force on 13 July.
Under the proposed change, the Migration Agency will consider, when granting or renewing non-EU citizens’ residence permits, whether applicants have at any time posed a threat to public order or security, had extremist sympathies or links to groups advocating violence, or committed minor offences punishable by fines.
Other factors may include going into debt “without any intention or effort to repay,” organised begging, committing welfare fraud or working off the books.
Those found not adhering to the “honest living” standard could face deportation.
“The consequences will be very serious” for migrants affected by the reform, John Stauffer, a legal adviser for the human rights organisation Civil Rights Defenders, told the AFP news agency.
Even a person’s statements, although they in themselves should not be considered as proof of a lack of “honest living,” may indicate links to “violent extremism,” Ludvig Aspling, a spokesman for the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats which props up the minority right-wing government, said when the plans were announced.
“This creates a system where people, depending on their legal status and whether they are citizens or have residence permits, have different rights in our society, especially when it comes to freedom of expression,” Stauffer said.
“If you are a citizen, you have broad and strongly-protected freedom of expression. If you are not a citizen, then you will have freedom of expression, but it will not be as strong,” he explained.
Unpredictable processing
The proposal would make it easier to revoke immigrants’ residence permits.
“It is not a human right to stay in Sweden. It is important to remember that,” Migration Minister Johan Forssell told AFP.
“If you come to Sweden and you’re not a citizen, it’s almost like being a guest in someone’s home. Then you should show that you want to become part of the country. That you make an effort, that you pull your weight, that you work,” Forssell said.
The government has not yet published a definitive list of actions or behaviours that would constitute a violation of the “honest living” requirement.
The Swedish Refugee Law Centre, an organisation that provides legal assistance to asylum seekers, says the new considerations will make the process for residence permits unpredictable.
“This can also create a sense of insecurity when you don’t really know how your actions in different situations might be assessed,” Elias Nygren, a lawyer working for the organisation, told AFP.
Some organisations worry that certain types of activism may also be considered a breach of “honest living.”
“We organise trainings in civil disobedience, that is, in non-violence and the principles that guide our actions. We are finding that this question comes up more and more often,” Frida Bengtsson, head of Greenpeace Sweden, told AFP.
“Many people are dropping out because they hesitate to take action due to the current uncertainty. They don’t really dare take that risk,” she added.
In a satirical op-ed published in newspaper Dagens Nyheter, Swedish writer Gellert Tamas suggested some members of government take a closer look at their own past.
Some of them, he argued, would be candidates for deportation, starting with the migration minister himself.
“Johan Forssell has ‘clear links to an organisation promoting violence’,” he wrote, citing the wording in the draft of the bill, “because of his son’s former membership in the openly Nazi group Aktivklubb Sverige.”
In July 2025, it emerged in the media that Forssell’s then 16-year-old son was a member of Aktivklubb Sverige, which the minister said he had not been aware of.
“Forssell’s defence, that ‘this was about a deeply remorseful 15-year-old, who just turned 16,’ would hardly have impressed in an assessment into honest living,” Tamas said.
Taking control of migration
Sweden’s Prime Minister told Euronews last year that there was an “absolute need to get control on migration.”
He reiterated his proposal to significantly increase the amount of money Sweden offers to migrants as a financial incentive to leave the country.
The current grant is €900 per adult. However, this initiative has had limited success so far. In 2023, only one out of 70 applications was approved, according to the Swedish Migration Agency.
To reverse this trend, a new government proposal would raise the amount to €32,000, an increase of 3,400%.
Sweden began revamping its asylum policy in 2015, moving to a much stricter stance on application processing after the country hosted record numbers of asylum seekers, more than 160,000 people, from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
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