Sweden wants to narrow path to citizenship

Stockholm: Sweden s government said on Tuesday it wanted to toughen the rules for obtaining Swedish nationality, with a government probe recommending...

Stockholm: Sweden's government said on Tuesday it wanted to toughen the rules for obtaining Swedish nationality, with a government probe recommending "honest living" as a prerequisite.

It also recommended extending the required duration of time spent in the country prior to obtaining citizenship.

To become Swedish, a foreigner would have to live in Sweden for eight years -- as opposed to the current five -- pass a test on Swedish society and values, and do a language exam, according to the probe ordered by the centre-right government in 2023.

"Citizenship must be earned, not be handed out unconditionally," Migration Minister Johan Forssell said in a post on Instagram.

Forssell told a press conference that citizenship also helped tie people of disparate backgrounds together under "a common Swedish identity".