Sweden to impose 'honest conduct' criterion on migrants, under penalty of expulsion

The Swedish government announced Tuesday its intention to introduce behavior standards for migrants under penalty of expulsion, based on the findings of a report on a possible change in Swedish legislation on the matter. 'The vast majority of people who come to Sweden are perfectly honest, they just want a better life, for themselves, for their family, they want to work, do what they need to, learn the Swedish language, be part of our country,' said Migration Minister Johan Forssell.

"But we are also living in a time where citizens trust in immigration policy rests on a very fundamental principle, namely that those who come to Sweden and commit crimes - or behave badly in another manner - should not be here," he added.

After the massive influx of asylum seekers to Sweden during the 2015 migration crisis, successive left- and right-wing governments have tightened asylum rules. Supported in Parliament by the Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigration far-right party, the current government has introduced increasingly strict restrictions since coming to power in 2022.

Robert Schött, a former judge responsible for reviewing this measure, proposes introducing into Swedish legislation a 'honorable conduct' criterion for migrants - mainly students, those with work permits, and their families. And be able to invoke this reason to revoke or refuse them a residence permit.

These 'lifestyle deficiencies' could include, besides committing a crime or offense, social benefits fraud, indebtedness, public order disturbances induced by drug addiction, or even advocating terrorism or other actions that 'threaten the security' of Sweden, enumerated the Migration Minister. 'I am convinced that the vast majority of people understand exactly what we mean in this context,' said Johan Forssell. 'The legislation will be stricter for this group of people who are not Swedish citizens.'

The NGO Civil Rights Defenders criticizes this future bill.

'It would create a system in which some people could be punished for expressing opinions that remain entirely legal for others. It would undermine the principle of equal treatment before the law and would be an extremely regrettable development for Sweden," said John Stauffer, head of legal issues at the NGO.