Sweden: 'Social democratic paradise' tightens access to citizenship in view of integration failure

The Swedish Parliament passed proposition 2025/26:175 at the end of April, which contains historic changes regarding the process of obtaining nationality. The main changes will come into effect as of next June 6, coinciding with National Day. From that date, it will no longer be so simple to become a Swedish citizen.

For a long time, Sweden was the perfect example of what the "establishment" considered a multicultural paradise: open borders, quick naturalizations and the idea that immigrants would integrate over time. All it took was five years of residency, a little good behavior and presto, the passport was in your hands.

However, a failed integration policy has allowed insecurity to take over the country. In 2022, while launching a series of initiatives to combat organized crime, then-Social Democratic Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson admitted publicly, "Segregation has been allowed to go so far that we have parallel societies in Sweden."

The Swedish Democrats, a party that backs the government from parliament by voting for key laws on immigration, security and the budget, have recently argued that "serious crime is largely a direct consequence of an extreme immigration policy," and warn that "in some places, it has gone so far that police need police escorts to be able to return home at night."

Citizenship as pride: "It should not be a mere formality"

The passage of proposition 2025/26:175 seeks to restore the value of what it means to be Swedish and to some extent to fight criminality. The government argues that access to citizenship should represent recognition of a person who has contributed, integrated and shares the country's values. From now on, it will be much more difficult for immigrants who have committed crimes to obtain Swedish citizenship.

In this regard, Johan Forsell, of the center-right Moderate Party and minister of migration, stated in mid-March, "Swedish citizenship should not be a mere formality, but something to be proud of"; adding, "For a long time, the requirements have been too loose. ... You could obtain citizenship without speaking Swedish, without knowing anything about Sweden and without having your own means of support."

The minister maintained that the left-wing opposition's stance "has nothing to do with integration," adding that, in his opinion, what it really seeks is to "consolidate aid dependency and exclusion." According to him, this attitude means "lowering the expectations of those who emigrate to Sweden."

The harsh cost of failed integration

These reforms come after years of rising gang-related violence, much of it involving criminal groups composed of second-generation immigrants or migrants who arrived during the 2015 migration crisis.

Many of their members and leaders are especially from Middle Eastern and Balkan countries. A clear example is the Foxtrot network, led by Rawa Majid, of Kurdish-Iranian origin.

According to the GI-TOC 2025 report, these gangs operate mainly in tough neighborhoods in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, but also operate in smaller cities such as Sundsvall, Uppsala and Helsingborg. They usually have family or ethnic ties and are involved in drug trafficking, arms and extortion.

Some of these gangs have turned entire neighborhoods into conflict zones. According to data from the Swedish Police, in 2025 there were more than 17,500 active members in criminal networks, and another 50,000 people linked to them in some way.

On the other hand, shootings have become a constant. In 2022 there were 391 incidents, with 62 deaths. Although the numbers dropped a bit in 2024, according to the Swedish Council for Crime Prevention (Brå), the country continues to have one of the highest rates of firearm murder rates in Europe, when in the past it was characterized by the opposite, being one of the safest not only in Europe but also in the world.