The Swedish Immigration Service announced the abolition of the requirement for a period of work when a refugee submits a request to change his residence from temporary to permanent residence, in a blow to the strict tendencies adopted by the Swedish government towards refugees, as a result of the increasing influence of the extreme right in Swedish society.
The new decision abolished the requirement to work at least 18 months, as a condition for obtaining permanent residency, and thus, when renewing a temporary residency to become permanent, a refugee will not be required to provide proof that he/she has worked for at least 18 months, according to the Swedish Information Center.
In this context, the Swedish Migration Agency explained in a statement on its website, on Saturday, February 17, that “the new change came following a directive decision issued by the Migration Court, after an appeal lodged by a person against the decision refusing to grant him permanent residence due to the lack of work for at least 18 months.”
The Migration Agency indicated that instead of the 18-month work requirement, it will conduct an individual evaluation of each case.
The decision of the Swedish Migration Court issued in this case confirmed that the authority would not be obligated to set a specific time period, but rather the files would be processed individually.
The Migration Court also stated that the 18-month work rule should not be applied to the reunification rules, stressing that a year’s work is usually sufficient for a person who wants to reunite with their family.
It is worth noting that the new decision opens the door for tens of thousands of immigrants holding temporary residency to obtain permanent residency, and thus the possibility of applying for Swedish citizenship.
This comes despite the fact that the “Sverigedemokraterna” party, or “Sweden Democrats”, which has neo-Nazi roots, has become the largest force in the right-wing coalition, and for the first time has great influence on policies related to from energy, all the way to health care, as Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson allied with the hard-line Sweden Democrats and accepted its tough policies on immigration in exchange for supporting him in parliament.
The Swedish government has also proposed major changes to immigration policy at the national level, scrapping the idea of granting permanent asylum to refugees, and pledging to reduce the number of refugees accepted into the country. In addition, the government said it plans to triple the minimum income required for labor migration, in order to exclude “poor migrant workers.”
All of this has recently led to a decline in Sweden’s reputation as an open democratic haven and a paradise for immigrants, as the Sweden Democrats party receives more and more votes, while racism flourishes in Swedish society greatly, in addition to an increase in the number of hate crimes, amid societal anger against immigrants, and in return, alienation of immigrants from Swedish society.
