Sweden Approves Law Allowing Residency Permits to Be Revoked Over Misconduct

Sweden’s parliament has approved a new law that lets authorities revoke migrants’ residence permits for what it calls improper behavior. The measure applies not only to future and pending applications, but also retroactively to permits already granted to migrants in the country.

Migration Minister Johan Forsell defended the plan when it was introduced in March, saying, “Anyone who does not make an effort to do the right thing should not be able to count on staying.” Under the law, the Swedish Migration Agency will review permits and make decisions, and migrants will be able to appeal to a special immigration court.

The government did not publish a closed list of banned conduct, but gave examples including accumulating debts, tax evasion, undeclared work, and ties to extremist organizations. The initiative is being pushed by Sweden’s right-wing government and its coalition partner, the nationalist Sweden Democrats, as part of a broader tightening of immigration policy ahead of the general election in September.

The governing parties came to power in 2022 after promising voters to reduce immigration and tackle crime. The law has drawn strong criticism from opposition parties and international rights groups, which say the move is arbitrary. In a statement from the Stockholm-based Civil Rights Defenders, the organization said the “good conduct law” leaves people uncertain about which actions or expressions could be used against them and undermines the rule of law and equality before the law.