Swedish government sends new migration bill to parliament

The migration bill was supposed to have been put to parliament in early April, but was delayed by a few weeks. But on Thursday the government said it had submitted the proposal.

It will now be processed by a parliament committee consisting of members of all parties, which will state their opinion, and then it will be put to the chamber for a vote.

If approved, it is set to come into force on July 20th, 2021, and replace temporary legislation which was introduced in 2016 to bring down the unprecedented number of asylum requests at the time.

Asylum applications have dropped from around 163,000 in 2015 to 22,000 in 2019 and 13,000 last year, but the government has said it does not want the number of new arrivals to rise again. In 2014, 81,000 people sought asylum in Sweden, 54,000 in 2013 and 44,000 in 2012.

The bill makes, for example, residence permits for refugees time-limited as a rule of thumb rather than permanent. Since the temporary law was introduced temporary permits have been the norm in Sweden, but before that permanent permits were the default since 1984.

It also brings in exceptions from family maintenance requirements for Swedish and EU/EEA citizens who wish to bring their partner to Sweden, and makes it easier for people living in Sweden on temporary residence permits to have family members move to join them.

The Local explains the main proposed changes that affect foreigners HERE.

The Local takes a look at the key proposals in the government's planned overhaul of Swedish migration law and what they mean for you. https://t.co/vSqKlEH6wi

— The Local Sweden (@TheLocalSweden) April 16, 2021