Sweden’s parliament has approved a sweeping immigration law allowing authorities to revoke residence permits over misconduct that does not necessarily result in a criminal conviction.
Under the new rules, migrants could lose their legal right to remain in Sweden for conduct including unpaid debts, undeclared employment, tax evasion, failure to comply with official decisions or links to extremist organizations.
The legislation applies to pending applications and can also affect residence permits that have already been granted. Cases will be assessed individually by the Swedish Migration Agency, while migrants will retain the right to appeal decisions before a migration court.
The law does not provide an exhaustive definition of unacceptable behavior, giving immigration authorities considerable discretion when examining whether a foreign resident has demonstrated “good conduct.”