Sweden Plans Stricter Citizenship Requirements to Reduce Immigration

New Citizenship Requirements in Sweden

STOCKHOLM, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Sweden will tighten citizenship rules with applicants facing a longer, eight-year wait before they can apply, a minimum wage threshold and a test of their understanding of Swedish society, the centre-right government said on Monday.

Increased Waiting Period and Income Threshold

Successive governments have tightened immigration policies since 2015, when around 160,000 asylum seekers sought refuge in Sweden. But the minority coalition government is betting that an even more restrictive line on immigration will prove popular with voters in September's parliamentary election.

Impact of Criminal Records on Applications

"These requirements are much tougher than the situation as it is today because currently there are basically no requirements (to become a citizen)," Migration Minister Johan Forssell told reporters.

Government's Stance on Immigration Policies

The government said applicants for Swedish citizenship would have to live in the country for eight years, up from five, have a monthly income of more than 20,000 Swedish crowns ($2,225), and be able to pass a language and culture test.

"It seems reasonable that you should know whether Sweden is a monarchy or a republic, if you want to be a citizen," Forssell said.

Anyone with a criminal record, either in Sweden or abroad, will have to wait longer before they can apply. Someone who had served a four-year prison sentence, for example, would have to wait 15 years before being able to apply for citizenship.

The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, who back the minority coalition government, have blamed decades of what they say are failed immigration policies for a wave of gangland crime that has swept the country.

The new rules are expected to come into force on June 6.

Last week the government said it would tighten rules for asylum seekers.

($1 = 8.9936 Swedish crowns)

(Reporting by Simon Johnson)