The Tidö Government Opens for Exceptions to Citizenship Requirements for Illiterate Applicants

Migrants who lack reading and writing skills may be exempted from the new requirements for Swedish citizenship. This emerges after Migration Minister Johan Forssell commented on a case involving a Syrian man who has lived in Sweden for eight years but still does not meet the new rules.

Jamal Daboul, who came to Sweden from Syria in 2018, is illiterate and cannot read or write in his native language nor in Swedish. He has applied for Swedish citizenship but has not yet received an answer to his application, which was submitted two years ago.

The new citizenship rules, which require passing tests in Swedish and civics, have caused him concern, he says in a tearful feature in Swedish Radio, where he is also incorrectly called a “Borås resident.” He fears that his lack of reading and writing skills will make it impossible for him to meet the conditions. He tells state radio this in very broken Swedish despite his long stay in Sweden.

Government: Exceptions May Be Considered

According to Migration Minister Johan Forssell, it is possible to make exceptions to the requirements for people who are illiterate. In an email reply to Swedish Radio, he emphasizes that in the end, the migration courts will decide whether exceptions should be granted in each individual case.

The statement means that the new knowledge requirements will not necessarily be applied equally to all applicants, but rather that individual circumstances may be taken into account during the review. This also applies to people who have lived in the country long enough that they should have learned to read and write – something that a normally intelligent lower-grade student needs one to two years to achieve.

One of Many Awaiting a Decision

Jamal is one of about 100,000 people whose citizenship applications will be processed under the new regulations. His case has therefore become an example of how the stricter requirements might affect people with very limited educational backgrounds. The rules stipulate that such people do not qualify for a place in Sweden.

Questions Remain About the Future for Syrian Migrants

At the same time, the government has also expressed an ambition that more Syrians should return to their homeland following changes in Syria and the fall of the Assad regime. However, how this approach will affect people like Jamal is still unclear.

The report about Jamal was broadcast by Sveriges Radio P4 and highlights the challenges the new citizenship rules may pose for people lacking basic reading and writing skills. The Swedish Radio staff member who made the segment speaks almost as poor Swedish as Jamal, which makes it difficult to grasp the content.