The Swedish government, in cooperation with the Sweden Democrats, is proposing new conduct requirements for residence permits that would apply retroactively to both new and existing permits. According to reports from Expressen, Migration Minister Johan Forssell (Moderate Party) will present the proposal at a press conference on Tuesday morning alongside Ludvig Aspling (Sweden Democrats), Ingemar Kihlström (Christian Democrats), and Martin Melin (Liberals).
The proposed legislation would allow authorities to consider past actions when assessing whether an individual meets the new conduct standards. The requirement would apply even to residence permits already issued, with authorities able to review old documents as part of a comprehensive assessment. Examples of 'deficient conduct' that could affect permit status reportedly include debts to individuals or the state, failure to comply with official decisions resulting in fines, repeated minor criminal offenses, abuse of welfare systems, or posing a security threat.
The proposal stems from the Tidö Agreement between the government parties and the Sweden Democrats, which included investigating the possibility of deporting foreign citizens due to deficient conduct. A government inquiry last year suggested that more residence permits could be denied or revoked due to shortcomings in honest living and proper conduct, though the inquiry also cautioned about retroactive laws.