The Swedish parliament has passed a new law that will allow authorities to revoke a person’s residence permit if they commit violations, such as accumulating debts, being illegally employed or having ties to extremist organizations, Reuters reports.
The law will apply to both pending and already granted residence permits, and is part of a wider right-wing government campaign to tighten immigration laws. The right-wing forces have begun to pay special attention to migration issues ahead of elections in September.
The law has already been criticized by the opposition and human rights groups, indicating that it allows for arbitrariness, as decisions will be made on violations that are not considered criminal offenses. The Stockholm-based organization Civil Rights Defenders said in a statement that
the “good behavior law” leaves uncertainty about what actions or expressions can be used against immigrants.
That threatens the rule of law and equality before the law.
The current government was formed in 2022, when right-wing forces won elections with promises to reduce migration. It has stated that people who do not know how to behave and commit crimes are not welcome in Sweden.
The law does not clearly define what constitutes undesirable behavior, but the government has mentioned unpaid debts, tax evasion, committing crimes and connections to extremist organizations. Sweden’s Immigration Minister Johan Forsell, proposing amendments to the law in March, said that people who do not want to try to do the right thing should not count on staying.
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