Only 98(!) Citizenships Granted in July – Here Are the Nationalities

The number of people granted Swedish citizenship dropped sharply in July, the first full month since the stricter rules were implemented. Only 98 people were granted citizenship during the month, according to the Swedish Migration Agency.

In total, the agency concluded 2,825 citizenship cases in July. However, the Migration Agency has not reported how many of the closed cases resulted in a rejection.

This development marks a clear change compared to earlier in the year. In June, the Migration Agency approved 1,646 citizenship applications.

In May, around 3,970 people were granted Swedish citizenship, while the corresponding figure in April was about 3,770.

The composition of the new Swedish citizens also changed significantly in July. Among the 98 people who were granted citizenship, a majority were citizens of one of Sweden’s Nordic neighboring countries – Finland, Norway, or Denmark.

Tidö Government’s Stricter Requirements

At the same time, only a few Syrian citizens were granted Swedish citizenship during the month. This marks a clear difference from previous years, when, for example, people with Syrian citizenship have constituted a significantly larger group among those granted Swedish citizenship.

One possible explanation for why Nordic citizens now make up such a large proportion is that they, in several respects, are not subject to the new stricter requirements in the same way as many other groups.

Among the changes is, for example, an extended residency requirement in Sweden, from the previous five years to eight years for many applicants. Nordic citizens are not subject to this waiting period in the same way.

Furthermore, Nordic citizens are exempted from the language requirements if they have a basic education from their home country.