This week’s biggest story for us came when the results of a government-commissioned inquiry into language and civics tests for permanent residency were presented.

Whenever someone asks me what The Local is, my short answer is that we write about Sweden’s news in English, but the longer answer is that we don’t only take our lead from the Swedish media. They covered this story too, but it was quickly forgotten.

But for many of our readers, this story has a potentially huge impact on their lives – at least for those who don’t yet have permanent residency – so we devoted a lot of attention to these tests and also looked into what they might look like in practice.

READ MORE:

• What could the language test for Swedish permanent residency look like?
• What could the civics test for Swedish permanent residency look like?

We also asked readers on Facebook what they thought about having to pass language and civics tests for permanent residency, and surprisingly many were positive. That’s also been our experience when we’ve asked readers about similar things in the past.

Many tend to question the spirit in which these tests are proposed – are they really meant as a helpful tool to make people feel more at home in Sweden, or are they just part of a cynical package to make life harder for immigrants? But a lot of people also often argue that asking someone to learn the language and learn about society before deciding to settle down in a place for good is not unreasonable.

Many readers also said that learning Swedish and learning about Sweden had helped them integrate when they moved here, and they encouraged others to do the same.

Some were concerned about the extra administration tests might lead to – both for the state and for the individual. Would they make queues longer at the Migration Agency? And why couldn’t substitutes be accepted – if you’ve already completed Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) classes or studied at university in Swedish, shouldn’t that be enough?

The most common objection from readers who got in touch with us was the sometimes low quality of SFI courses – yes, they’re free, but are they useful or a time-waster? It seems to depend very much on which teacher you end up with.

This comment from Alina, who commented on The Local’s Facebook page, sums up what the majority of people who responded seemed to feel: “I understand the idea, it’s used in other countries too and as long as it is well implemented, it can work.

“On the other hand, SFI is practically the only way to learn Swedish, which in turn is the most important factor in finding a job (unless one lives in a bigger city where it’s easier to find a job where it’s OK to use English) and integrating in society.

“So for me the question is rather: if the government wants to start using these tests, how much is the Swedish state then willing to invest in increasing the quality of SFI classes on a national level, so immigrants would actually have a chance to pass the language test required for receiving permanent residency or citizenship?”

In other news

A group of women in their 90s sat next to me in my café the other day. They were celebrating one member’s 95th (!) birthday and were chatting away in a lovely, thick, southern Swedish accent. Their witty banter made me smile, as did the flowers that kept getting delivered to the café, creating a little indoor garden around their table.

What makes you smile about Sweden? Richard wrote an article this week about the 12 things that make him quietly chuckle. It’s heart-warming reading, I recommend it.

There’s been a lot of talk about Sweden’s stalled Nato application in the past week, and I expect there will be more in the month ahead, as world leaders try to get Turkey and Hungary to drop their objections by the next Nato summit in mid-July. We talk about what’s going on in the latest episode of The Local’s Sweden in Focus podcast.

How would Swedes vote if an election were held today? A new survey has bad news for the current government (although the next election is in 2026, so they’re pretty safe).

Finally, here’s an oldie but goldie from The Local’s archive, which made me laugh when Becky republished it on my day off: Ten phrases you only hear during a Swedish summer.

Thanks for reading,

Emma Löfgren

Editor, The Local Sweden

Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members that gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to your newsletter preferences.