Will Sweden's new citizenship rules put foreign workers off?
Sweden in Focus18 Tammi 2025

Will Sweden's new citizenship rules put foreign workers off?

Sweden's government promised a paradigm shift on immigration and this was a week in which they moved ahead with some cornerstone policies.

As we spoke about in last week's podcast, enhanced security checks are expected to slow down decisions on citizenship by a migration authority already struggling to manage a backlog of more than 80,000 applications.

The head of a government inquiry this week recommended a grace period for existing applicants as Sweden moves to extend residency requirements from five to eight years for citizenship. In this week's episode politicians remind us that they're not obliged to follow the inquiry's recommendations.

For Membership+ subscribers we discuss why dual citizenship is on the agenda this week after a parliamentary committee recommended changing the constitution to enable the revocation of Swedish citizenship for serious crimes including espionage, terrorism and treason. But a disagreement between the government and the Social Democrats on which crimes should be covered suggests this is an issue we'll be hearing much more about in the run-up to the 2026 election.

Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Emma Löfgren and James Savage.

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

New Swedish citizenship rulesGet Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcasts

Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

Read more about Membership+ in our help centre.

Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(262)

Sweden in 2026: Will immigration be a big election issue?

Sweden in 2026: Will immigration be a big election issue?

Voters in Sweden will decide next year whether to keep the current coalition government bolstered by the far-right Sweden Democrats or switch to a more left-leaning alternative.The Local’s Nordic edit...

17 Joulu 20253min

How can Sweden get better at integrating immigrants?

How can Sweden get better at integrating immigrants?

In this week's episode we talk about why immigrants in Sweden are often lumped into categories and what needs to be done to forge real connections, and we look at what Indian readers are telling us ab...

13 Joulu 202529min

'I hate to be stereotypical but the light in northern Sweden is amazing'

'I hate to be stereotypical but the light in northern Sweden is amazing'

In this week’s episode of Sweden in Focus Extra, we hear from the Umeå-based Canadian writer. Mandy Pipher about what it's been like moving to Umeå in northern Sweden. Mandy wrote recently in an artic...

10 Joulu 20253min

Popular Lucia songs, and why does northern Sweden face so much prejudice?

Popular Lucia songs, and why does northern Sweden face so much prejudice?

In this week's episode we talk about why northern Sweden doesn’t get the recognition it deserves from southerners, and we prepare for the annual Lucia festivities by getting to know some of the most c...

6 Joulu 202527min

How good is your Swedish vocabulary? - Quiz 15

How good is your Swedish vocabulary? - Quiz 15

Can our panelists pass the vocabulary section of högskoleprovet, the Swedish university entrance exam?Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local's Becky Waterton and James Savage.Do you know ...

4 Joulu 20253min

Why The Local is investigating Sweden's immigrant detention centres

Why The Local is investigating Sweden's immigrant detention centres

In this week's episode we talk about Sweden’s immigrant deportation centres and why reports of miserable conditions there should concern everyone in Sweden.We also discuss the two-decades old murder i...

29 Marras 202532min

Talent deportation: 'It's a lose-lose game for Sweden and Swedish taxpayers'

Talent deportation: 'It's a lose-lose game for Sweden and Swedish taxpayers'

In this week’s episode we hear a conversation our Nordic editor Richard Orange had recently with Sasan Kazemian, an Iranian doctor who quit his job and left Sweden for Iran in September after he was r...

26 Marras 20254min

Liberals in crisis: Will Sweden soon have one less party in parliament?

Liberals in crisis: Will Sweden soon have one less party in parliament?

In this week's episode we talk about strategies for coping with the long Swedish winter now that temperatures have taken a serious nosedive.In politics, with several parties teetering on the brink of ...

22 Marras 202522min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
politiikan-puskaradio
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
rss-pinnalla
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
aihe
rss-podme-livebox
tervo-halme
rss-asiastudio
rss-girls-finish-f1rst
otetaan-yhdet
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
the-ulkopolitist
rss-mina-ukkola
rss-50100-podcast
rss-tasta-on-kyse-ivan-puopolo-verkkouutiset
rss-ulkopoditiikkaa
rss-tekkipodi