Some temporary-permit holders can seek citizenship if officials expect them to stay
Some temporary-permit holders can still qualify for citizenship, but the Migration Agency must usually decide whether their stay looks durable enough.
Sweden has removed the general route to permanent residence for several protection-based groups, but some people affected can still apply for citizenship without first securing permanent status. The route turns security into a forecast: the Migration Agency must normally decide whether an applicant has “well-founded prospects” of receiving a long-term permit.
The agency guidance says the exception covers long-term residents, refugees, people with subsidiary protection, certain humanitarian or enforcement-barrier permits, and relatives whose status is tied to them. People who have lived in Sweden for at least ten years do not face the prospects test, but must meet the other citizenship requirements.
The rule followed a wider migration reform that removed permanent residence for specified groups from 12 July. Applicants still need a valid permit when they apply. A pending extension is not enough.
That makes the new route narrower than its reassuring headline. It prevents the abolition of permanent status from closing citizenship completely, while giving officials a forward-looking judgment over whether a person's stay is durable enough. For affected residents, a path to permanence now depends partly on an administrative prediction about the future.
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