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The conservative government of Sweden announced plans to further tighten citizenship requirements as the Nordic nation continues to reverse course on the previous open borders policies that radically transformed the country.

Following a report from Stockholm’s immigration investigator Kirsi Laakso Utvik, the conservative coalition government of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s Moderates and the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats said that by June of next year, becoming a Swedish citizen will become more difficult.

One of the chief measures set to come into force will be increasing the years lived in the country before being eligible to apply for citizenship, from the current standard of five years to eight, Swedish daily Aftonbladet reports.

Additionally, the government is planning on introducing a requirement for monetary self-sufficiency as well as “honest way of life” mandates, which will include prohibition against applicants with criminal records or large debts, both in Sweden and abroad, according to The Times.

Migration Minister Johan Forssell said upon the announcement that “becoming a Swedish citizen should mean something.”

“It should be something to strive for, it should be proof that you work and contribute to society. Something you deserve, quite simply,” he said.

While the government did not take up the suggestion from the coalition partner Sweden Democrats to require a “declaration of loyalty to the nation” upon taking the oath of citizenship, the populist party said that it was satisfied for now with the outcome, saying that requirements on income were the most important measure to them.

The move to restrict citizenship comes amid a broader effort to clamp down on immigration by the conservative-populist government in Sweden, which swept to power in 2022 amid growing realisation of the error that was the decision in 2015 to open the floodgates to mass migration.

Additionally, the government is planning on introducing a requirement for monetary self-sufficiency as well as “honest way of life” mandates, which will include prohibition against applicants with criminal records or large debts, both in Sweden and abroad, according to The Times.

Migration Minister Johan Forssell said upon the announcement that “becoming a Swedish citizen should mean something.”

“It should be something to strive for, it should be proof that you work and contribute to society. Something you deserve, quite simply,” he said.

While the government did not take up the suggestion from the coalition partner Sweden Democrats to require a “declaration of loyalty to the nation” upon taking the oath of citizenship, the populist party said that it was satisfied for now with the outcome, saying that requirements on income were the most important measure to them.

The move to restrict citizenship comes amid a broader effort to clamp down on immigration by the conservative-populist government in Sweden, which swept to power in 2022 amid growing realisation of the error that was the decision in 2015 to open the floodgates to mass migration.

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https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2025/01/16/sweden-to-step-up-restrictions-for-citizenship-as-approved-asylum-permits-fall-to-40-year-low/

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