What happened
The so-called Miniminivåutredningen proposes a new law making it possible to revoke permanent residence permits and grant temporary permits instead. According to the inquiry, the proposal could cover a total of 185 000 people. In its consultation response, Migrationsverket warns that the cost of processing could reach nearly six billion kronor, compared with the inquiry's estimate of 1.2 billion. Director-General Maria Mindhammar stresses that a permanent permit is a favourable decision with negative legal force, and that high demands are placed on the grounds required to change it to the detriment of the individual. The agency also emphasizes that the processing will be very resource-intensive and that operations are already in a strained situation.
Our analysis
Granting people a permanent permit only to take it back demonstrates how quickly the state's promises can be renegotiated. The proposal means that 185 000 new Swedes who have established themselves in the country could be stripped of their long-term security and forced into a precarious existence with temporary permits. At the same time, Migrationsverket's consultation response points to a remarkable bureaucratic bill: spending up to six billion tax kronor solely on making people's futures more uncertain. When an agency warns that the price tag has been grossly underestimated in the eagerness to tighten restrictions, it ought to make decision-makers listen.
Explained
A permanent residence permit gives a person the right to live and work in Sweden indefinitely. A temporary permit, on the other hand, is only valid for a specified period and must be reviewed again when that period expires.
Source: Migrationsverket