2026-03-01 14:00
publication
2026-03-01 14:00
The Swedish government announced on Wednesday that the number of expulsions of foreigners convicted of crimes in the country will increase sixfold. This will be possible thanks to the entry into force of the strictest regulations in the Nordic countries at the beginning of September.
According to estimates by the Minister of Migration, Johan Forssell, the number of people who “will be deported due to the exhaustion of Swedish hospitality will increase to 3,000 per year.”
Under the new regulations, the prosecutor's office will have the obligation to apply for the expulsion of a citizen of another country in the event of committing a crime punishable by imprisonment of any length. In the judgment, the courts are to take less into account the convict's connections with Sweden, e.g. attending school or having a family. In addition, the rule according to which migrants who came to Sweden as children are considered settled in the country is to be abolished. Another novelty is the extension of the time during which an expelled person is prohibited from returning to Sweden.
Sweden abandons its tolerant migration policy, it will be more difficult to obtain citizenship. “Girls have the right to play football”
“Citizenship is something you should be proud of. That's why you have to earn it, not receive it unconditionally,” noted Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell on Instagram. And he outlined several points that he intends to implement, including that “girls have the right to go to swimming pools. If you don't think so, Sweden is not the country for you.”
Forssell said on Wednesday at a press conference in Stockholm that the new legislation would be stricter than that in force in Denmark. At the end of January, the local government announced a reform of the justice system consisting in the deportation of foreigners sentenced in Denmark to at least a year in prison, e.g. for rape.
Data provided by Forssell show that in Sweden in 2020-23 only 2.8 percent convictions against foreigners included a section on expulsion.
From Stockholm Daniel Zyśk (PAP)
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