Swedish citizenship grants fell 94% in July as 103,598 cases remained open
Sweden granted citizenship to just 98 people in July, down 94% from June, while 103,598 applications remained open. Citizenship applicants and mixed-status families entered August with a six-figure pending caseload and no published breakdown of how the 2,825 decided cases ended.
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The agency's data show 2,369 new cases and 2,825 decisions in July. Grants fell from 1,602 in June. Migrationsverket reports grants as people but incoming and decided matters as cases, so dividing 98 by 2,825 would not produce a valid approval rate.
The tighter citizenship rules took effect on 6 June and apply to pending as well as new applications. Migrationsverket says the rules are affecting the statistics because many cases need extra material tied to citizenship-test results before they can be decided. It warns that monthly totals will vary more.
The July table does not show how many decisions were rejections or prove that every case was changed by the new rules. What it does show is a sudden 1,504-person drop in grants during the first full month after the change, with the open caseload still above 100,000.
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