Swedish lawmakers on Monday passed a new “good behavior” legislation allowing authorities to revoke residence permits from misbehaving migrants found engaging in bad practices such as having unpaid debts or taxes, or being linked with criminal organizations.
In a brief statement, the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, explained that the primary purpose of the legislation is to “increase ethe possibilities for removing individuals based on their lifestyle,” approving a proposal from the Swedish right-wing coalition government suggesting that a foreigner’s conduct, “that is, their way of life,” should hold greater weight when assessing a migrant’s residence permit in Sweden — both when it comes to granting or revoking them.
“The decision entails, among other things, stricter requirements for obtaining and retaining a residence permit, as a person’s conduct, known as ‘good behavior,’ will carry greater weight in the assessment of eligibility for a residence permit,” the Riksdag said.
“It will be possible to deny or revoke a residence permit in cases of misconduct, such as failing to comply with laws, regulations, and official decisions, having significant debts, or supporting oneself through dishonest means,” the text continued.
“The Sweden Democrats are delivering on our election promises! Today, the Swedish parliament voted yes to double penalties for gang criminals, the reintroduction of official liability, and character requirements for residence permits,” the populist Sweden Democrats party said through social media.
The new law, which also retroactively applies to already-granted residence permits, will go into effect on July 13, 2026.
Sweden’s new “good behavior” law is the European nation’s latest effort to curb its mass migration crisis, and comes roughly a year after Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell presented a report that called for good conduct requirements for residence permits. At the time, Forsell reasoned while it should be worthwhile to do the right thing and to want to become part of Swedish society, “there must also be consequences for those who commit crimes or behave badly.” As Breitbart News reported in February, the Swedish government is also planning to bar migrants who fail to learn the Swedish language from obtaining Swedish citizenship.
“Anyone who doesn’t make the effort to do the right thing shouldn’t be able to count on staying,” Minister Forssell reportedly said when he proposed the bill to the Riksdag in March.
Equally important, the Swedish lawmakers also approved new changes to the nation’s Utlänningslagen migration law on Monday streamlining deportation procedures while providing resources to Sweden’s police force and Migration Board to better enforce deportation and expulsion orders.
“The Government proposes a new obligation for the Swedish Employment Agency, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, the Swedish Enforcement Authority, the Swedish Pensions Agency and the Swedish Tax Agency to, on their own initiative, provide information about a foreigner to the Police Authority if there is reason to assume that he or she does not have the right to reside in Sweden,” the Riksdag said.
The changes grant Swedish authorities the means to further assess the identity of migrants through extended use of fingerprinting and photographs — including the possibility of seizing and searching through their mobile phone devices if it can be presumed that the devices contain information on their identities. Like the “good behavior” law, these policy changes will also go into effect on July 13, 2026.
The Guardian reports that opponents of the legislation have branded its criteria as “arbitrary.” The Stockholm-based group Civil Rights Defenders reportedly said through a statement that the law “undermines the rule of law,” asserting that it leaves people “in uncertainty about what actions or expressions can be used against them.”