Sweden's migration crackdown: Informant laws and exit incentives unveiled

"Bild" reports on two plans by the Swedish government to tighten migration policies. One involves new regulations, often called the "informant law." This law could affect up to a million employees, ranging from dentists to teachers.

As "Bild" highlights, migration policy has become a significant challenge in recent years due to increased migrants from Africa and Arab countries. The issue of gang crime is also more frequently reported, particularly in areas with high concentrations of migrants.

At the beginning of 2023, the Swedish Minister for Migration, Maria Malmer Stenergard, introduced new rules proposing that residence permits be time-limited. Revoking residence permits would be simplified, and obtaining citizenship would become more complex.

In August, the minister announced a negative migration balance for the current year, indicating that more people had emigrated from Sweden than settled there. "Such a situation hasn't happened in over 50 years," she noted.

Data from 2023 show that this trend includes people born in Iraq, Somalia, and Syria, countries from which Sweden has accepted hundreds of thousands of immigrants in recent years.

Malmer Stenergard stated that Sweden "needs a break" to manage the immigrants already in the country. "Striving for sustainable immigration is essential for us to strengthen immigration and reduce exclusion," she said.

The Swedish government is considering two potential plans, reports "Bild". The first plan involves new regulations requiring public sector workers to report information about undocumented migrants to the authorities. Some are already calling it the "informant law." Critics argue that people might fear deportation when visiting a doctor or going to school.

This law could affect up to a million employees, from dentists to teachers, who must report any contact with patients or students lacking valid documents.

The second plan aims to encourage naturalised foreigners to emigrate. Under this programme, refugees would receive €870 and have their travel costs covered if they voluntarily leave the country. The scheme would be extended to naturalised Swedish citizens and their families, but only for departure to non-European Union countries.