After eight years on the left in power, Sweden swung to the right last October with unprecedented and influential support from the far right. Result: the fight against immigration becomes a priority while 20% of the Swedish population was born abroad.
>> In Sweden, the far right is pulling the strings of the new conservative government
The tightening of migration rules had already begun under the Social Democrats, who notably attacked family reunification. But Ulf Kristersson’s government goes much further. The scope and precision of the proposals took everyone by surprise.
“The government agreement is 60 pages, it covers six themes. One of them is the question of immigration and integration, but it is by far the most voluminous chapter: 20 pages on 60, or a third of the proposals.”
Louise Dane, lawyer at the Swedish Refugee Law Centerat franceinfo
“There are 32 subsections in each of which several ideas are developed, continues Louise Dane. We expected a tougher tone coming from a right-wing government, but we were surprised by the detail of the proposals.”
In these proposals drafted by the government, we find jumbled together the idea of blocking asylum seekers in transit zones, the time to study their file, to expel refugees whose country is no longer considered dangerous, to require economic immigrants to demonstrate a salary three times higher than what is currently required of them. We also note the cessation of permanent residence permits in favor of temporary permits to be renewed regularly, but also the possibility of withdrawing the permanent permit or citizenship from those who have already obtained it.
The kind of ideas that sow panic among foreigners living in Sweden. Edison is Colombian and has lived in Sweden for 10 years, of which he has just become a citizen. “All these changes could affect me one dayhe fears. Right now, I see my friends who are waiting for their permanent residence permits, worried, it puts them in an unstable situation while all these people are working, paying taxes, contributing to the country.”
Lawyers and legislators will have to assess whether all these proposals are in fact legal, whether they can actually be applied, since Sweden is still required to respect not only its Constitution, but human rights, and in particular European law. But what is certain is that all this will have a deterrent effect. If the country is perceived as closed, there will be far fewer asylum applications, if the procedures are too complicated, people will give up, and that is also what the current government is betting on, to the detriment of the needs of workforce in many sectors – from industry to personal care. The paradigm shift is on.