Sweden raises income requirement for citizenship applicants

Sweden will introduce stricter rules for acquiring citizenship from June, requiring applicants to live longer in the country, meet an income threshold and pass a basic language and civic knowledge test.

The changes were announced by Migration Minister Johan Forssell and are part of a broader tightening of migration and integration policies that successive governments have pursued since 2016, when around 160,000 asylum seekers arrived in a country of fewer than 11 million people.

Under the new rules, most applicants will need to have lived in Sweden for at least eight years, up from the previous requirement of five. They must also earn at least 20,000 Swedish kronor per month, roughly €1,900 or $2,200, and pass a basic test on the Swedish language and society. People with criminal records, whether in Sweden or abroad, will be required to wait longer before becoming eligible to apply. As an example cited by the government, someone who has served four years in prison would need to reside in Sweden for 15 years before applying for citizenship.

“These requirements are much tougher than the situation as it is today because currently there are basically no requirements,” Forssell told reporters at a press conference. He described the planned citizenship test as relatively simple, saying it was reasonable that prospective citizens know whether Sweden is a monarchy or a republic.

The income requirement is set below Sweden’s median wage and below many full-time entry-level salaries, meaning most people in regular employment are expected to qualify. Sweden does not have a fixed national minimum wage, making direct comparisons difficult.

The stricter measures reflect a political shift on migration that has gathered pace over the past decade. The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, which supports the minority coalition government, has argued that previous immigration policies contributed to rising gang-related crime. National elections are scheduled for September, with migration expected to remain a key issue.

The changes stand in contrast to recent reforms in Germany, where the standard residency requirement for citizenship was reduced from eight years to five.