Hej,
Today I can finally apply for permanent residency after five years living in Sweden, the last hurdle before I can apply for Swedish citizenship and something I’m sure many of our readers have been through.
It’s a bit of an anticlimax, really. I’ll submit an online form and then at some point will go and get my photo and fingerprints taken, but the symbolism has left me reflecting on how Sweden has changed, and how I have changed, since I moved here in 2019.
I’ve seen three different Prime Ministers head the country since then, with both governments and rhetoric shifting slowly to the right. I’ve seen Sweden become increasingly more anti-immigration, tightening up work permit laws and launching plans to make it harder for us to get permanent residency and citizenship.
Although the current government has been a driving force in this, announcing its plans shortly after the election to carry out a so-called ‘paradigm shift’ on migration, many of these new proposals were set in motion under the Social Democrats during their time in power, presumably as a bid to appear tough on migration in the wake of the 2015 refugee crisis, as support for the Sweden Democrats has continued to grow.
READ ALSO: What’s the current status of Sweden’s planned migration laws?
There has been a lot more rhetoric about integration, telling us we should learn Swedish, embrace Swedish culture, work hard, support ourselves and live good lives, often while forgetting that the vast majority of us have already done this without being told to.
I definitely feel integrated – I sometimes feel more Swedish than British, although that’s probably helped by the fact that my husband and daughter are both Swedish. I speak Swedish, I have Swedish friends and do my best to understand Swedish culture and values (it’s literally my job). In fact, one of the only things that makes me still feel like an outsider is the fact that I still don’t have permanent residency or citizenship, and that I might not for a while.
June 6th was Sweden’s National Day, and up and down the country new citizens were invited to welcome celebrations by their local municipalities, from the grandeur of Stockholm city hall to a rainy stage on Malmö’s Stortorget.
I can’t help but wonder what it will be like the day I finally get Swedish citizenship (and regain the EU citizenship I lost after Brexit), although I’m still not sure when exactly that will be, as the long processing times for permanent residency and citizenship could delay the process.
Maybe I’ll be able to apply this year, or maybe I’ll have to wait until after the government has added another three years onto the residency requirement, as well as making applicants carry out language and culture tests to qualify.
Over in Denmark, citizenship rules have slowly become more restrictive over the past decade, with the government there most recently raising the price of citizenship from an already-high 4,000 Danish kroner to 6,000 kroner.
Is that going to happen here, too?
In some ways it feels a bit like I’m on a conveyor belt, always just about to qualify for citizenship before the goalposts are changed, and I can’t help but wonder what could happen if this government is elected again. Sometimes it feels like we’re one law away from being ordered to leave.
Will they backdate the law, too, like they did with work permits, suddenly introducing a new salary requirement for people who had already applied?
Could they tighten up the rules for permanent residency once I’ve already applied, meaning I no longer qualify?
It’s all well and good talking about integration, but how are we expected to dedicate years of our lives to learning a language, fitting in, making friends and finding work, in some cases raising our children here, if we always feel like our right to be here is uncertain? Like we’re just one law away from not being able to stay here?
Whenever I do get citizenship, it will be a weight off my shoulders.
It will finally make me feel like I belong here, like my residence status isn’t subject to the whims of the next politician to judge that making life harder for immigrants is a good way of picking up votes.
Other news this week you might have missed
The European elections are taking place in Sweden on Sunday. How do they work and when will we know the results?
Speaking of elections, there are some key deadlines Brits should be aware of if they want to vote in the UK election next month.
Sweden’s government has announced plans to let small-scale producers of alcoholic beverages sell their products for consumption off-site – but only if buyers first attend a lecture or guided tour.
Norway’s finance minister said this week that consumers in Norway had enjoyed better economic conditions than their Swedish counterparts. So, does this claim hold up?
Grammis-winning rapper C.Gambino was shot dead this week in Gothenburg. Who was he?
The Local has written on several occasions about the racism and glass ceiling felt by many foreigners in Sweden, but we also want to encourage constructive discussion, so we’re asking what our readers think to help make your voice heard in the public debate.
Thanks for reading and have a good weekend!
Best wishes,
Becky
Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members which gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It’s published each Saturday and with Membership+ you can also receive it directly to your inbox.
I am curious if the author was eligible for a PR after 5 years of living or has applied for it after five years of living despite being eligible earlier a,lso I thought you get Swedish citizenship after three years of living with a Swedish spouse.
Hi, see my response to the comment above!
I also thought that in certain instances 3 years was time enough to apply. This will happen for myself in the Fall. I will inform The Local when all is said and done on Swedish Government part and mine.
You can apply for permanent residency after three years in Sweden, but only once your temporary residence permit runs out (as you apply for it at the same time as you renew your temporary permit), which in practice means you can apply after four years in Sweden at the earliest. It also took around 9 months for me to get my first residence permit in Sweden so that’s why I’ve had to wait (almost) five years to apply for permanent residency. If you mean three years for citizenship, then yes, I’ve already lived in Sweden long enough as my husband is Swedish. But again, non-EU citizens need to have permanent residency too in order to apply, so I still need that before I can get citizenship, if that makes sense.
I can’t add links here but we have more information on permanent residency and citizenship in two articles: “How to get permanent residency in Sweden” and “EXPLAINED: How to become a Swedish citizen”.