Sweden Tightens Migration Rules Amid Controversy Over Humanitarian Impact

Sweden Completes Decade-Long Overhaul of Migration Policy

A Brazilian woman, Raquel Viveira, received an unexpected letter from Sweden’s migration agency informing her that she had to leave the country due to a technicality in her cohabiting partner visa. The decision was made despite Viveira having completed Swedish language classes, set up a sole trader business, and paid taxes.

Viveira had planned to celebrate Sweden’s National Day on June 6 by painting her nails in the colors of the flag, but instead she booked a plane ticket and left the country. She has since applied for new residency and is awaiting responses.

According to reports, Viveira’s experience is not an isolated incident. Many individuals who have been living in Sweden without legal status are facing similar challenges due to changes in migration policy. A new law taking effect on July 12 restricts all incoming asylum seekers to temporary residence permits only, eliminating the pathway to permanence that once defined Sweden’s approach to integration.

Additionally, a new “informer law” will require six state agencies to report suspected undocumented people to police, shattering confidentiality norms. This change has generated alarm among undocumented individuals and their families.

In 2015, Sweden received approximately 10,000 asylum seekers per week, with many fleeing conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq. However, the number of people applying for asylum each year has decreased significantly since then.

The new policies are part of a convergence of three policy shifts that will take effect this summer. The EU’s new Migration and Asylum Pact came into force on June 12, while the new law restricting temporary residence permits took effect on July 12. The informer law is set to come into effect on July 13.

Experts say that these changes fundamentally redefine what it means to live in Sweden without a Swedish passport. “We’re waking up to a new Sweden after this summer,” said Sofia Ronnow Pessah, an asylum rights lawyer and policy adviser at RFSL Ungdom.

Source: Al Jazeera