Sweden Introduces Strict Residence Permit Restrictions for Family Members of Migrants

The Swedish government plans to tighten the conditions for obtaining residence permits for relatives of migrants, according to the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

On Tuesday, the government presented new bills on family migration. These include increasing income requirements for immigrants and introducing a two-year waiting period before applying for family residence permits.

If you wish to bring a spouse and two children to the country, you will need to have a salary of at least 35,743 kronor (approximately $3,845) after taxes. Income from subsidized work, unemployment benefits, and employment support will no longer be taken into account. Additionally, applicants must have adequate housing.

"It's clear that you should be able to bring relatives to Sweden, but then you're required to work and do the right thing," said Migration Minister Johan Forssell.

Foreigners who come to the kingdom to study will also no longer be able to bring relatives to Sweden. "This is a massive abuse of the rules. These are people who come here to study, but in reality they come here to participate in the family reunification program," said Ludvig Aspling, a representative of the Sweden Democrats.

The proposed changes to the law will come into force on October 1 of this year.