Sweden Grants Fewer Than 100 Citizenships in First Month of Stricter Rules

Foreign residents in the Øresund region face stricter Swedish citizenship processing. Sweden approved fewer than 100 citizenship applications in July 2026. This follows the introduction of tougher migration laws. Only 20 of these approvals were granted through naturalisation.

The sharp drop shows the immediate effect of the new rules. The government introduced tightened residency requirements. Authorities also enforced stricter good-conduct rules for applicants. The Local reported the figures from Sweden's Migration Agency, Migrationsverket.

This change affects workers and residents tracking migration timelines across the region. Processing standards have tightened significantly under the updated legislation.