Sweden Abolishes Permanent Residence Permits for Asylum Seekers
11th June 2026
government bill that will eliminate the possibility of permanent residence permits for asylum seekers and certain other groups of immigrants.
The legislation, passed on Tuesday, will come into force on July 12th. From that date onward, only temporary residence permits can be issued to those falling under the new rules.
Temporary residence permits are already the norm in Sweden. The new law, however, removes the possibility for these groups to eventually obtain permanent residence status. Individuals who already hold permanent residence permits will not be affected by the change.
The move comes as Sweden continues to grapple with serious problems related to gang crime and violence, much of which authorities have linked to criminal networks with immigrant backgrounds. Over the past decade, the country has struggled to contain shootings connected to rival gangs involved in the drug trade and their violent feuds.
According to police data from May, 23 innocent bystanders have been killed and another 30 wounded in gang-related shootings over the past three years. Authorities said the victims were not the intended targets but were instead hit by stray bullets, mistaken for someone else, or targeted because of links to individuals involved in criminal networks.
Police have also warned that gangs increasingly recruit teenagers through social media and encrypted messaging services, often offering money to carry out attacks. Many recruits are younger than 15, the current age of criminal responsibility in Sweden, making them particularly attractive to criminal organizations because they cannot be prosecuted under the criminal justice system.