Så hanterar Migrationsverket medborgarskapsärenden efter de nya reglerna den 6 juni
Svenska (Lätt svenska) – sammanfattning: (English version below)
Så hanterar Migrationsverket medborgarskapsärenden efter de nya reglerna den 6 juni
Åsa Holmes, chef för medborgarskapsenheten hos Migrationsverket i Göteborg, svarar på frågor om hur ärenden hanteras efter de nya, strängare medborgarskapsreglerna.
Hon säger att myndigheten inte har börjat avslå gamla ansökningar snabbt för att minska kön, trots rykten om detta på nätet. Handläggarna arbetar som vanligt, och prioriterar äldre ärenden och ärenden där domstol beslutat att de ska avgöras snarast.
Många ansökningar avslås nu efter den 6 juni eftersom sökanden inte längre uppfyller det nya kravet på 8 års boende i Sverige – men det är bara en av flera anledningar till avslag.
På grund av de nya, strängare kraven behöver handläggarna ofta be sökande om mer information och dokumentation.
Den som saknar bevis på sina kunskaper i svenska eller samhällskunskap kan be om mer tid (en så kallad "deferral"). Men Holmes medger att det ännu inte finns tydliga, gemensamma riktlinjer för vem som får denna extra tid – varje fall bedöms individuellt.
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English version:
How Is Migrationsverket Handling Citizenship Cases After the New June 6th Rules?
Åsa Holmes, head of the Migration Agency's citizenship unit in Gothenburg, spoke to The Local about how citizenship applications are being processed since Sweden's stricter new rules took effect on 6 June 2026.
No "mass rejection" of backlog cases: Holmes firmly denied online rumors that the agency is fast-tracking rejections of applications that don't meet the new 8-year residency requirement in order to clear the backlog faster. She said case officers are working through applications according to the agency's established priority order — with older cases and cases where a court has ordered the agency to reach a decision as soon as possible ("request to conclude") given priority, just as before.
Why so many rejections since June 6th: A significant share of applications rejected after the new rules took effect fail to meet the new 8-year residency requirement (up from the previous 5 years). However, Holmes stressed this is only one of several assessment criteria, not the sole reason for rejection — some applications are rejected for other reasons entirely.
More requests for additional information: Because of the new, stricter requirements, case officers are increasingly contacting applicants to request additional information and documentation needed to properly assess each individual case.
No clear guidelines yet on deferrals: Holmes confirmed that applicants can request a "deferral" — more time to submit proof of Swedish language skills or civics knowledge — if they don't yet have the required documentation. However, she acknowledged that the agency has not provided case officers with specific, detailed guidelines on exactly who qualifies for such an extension. Each request is assessed on a case-by-case basis, weighing whether the amount of extra time requested is "reasonable." Holmes said this lack of clear, uniform criteria is partly because the situation is new, with "too many question marks" still remaining — particularly around when the civics and Swedish language tests will be fully rolled out (currently expected around autumn 2027 for the language test).
Sources:
The Local Sweden – "'Too many question marks' remain for specific guidelines on Swedish citizenship deferrals" (interview with Åsa Holmes, 14 July 2026) – https://www.thelocal.se/20260714/too-many-question-marks-remain-for-specific-guidelines-on-swedish-citizenship-deferrals
Sveriges Radio – "Så förändras kraven för att bli svensk medborgare" – https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/sa-forandras-kraven-for-att-bli-svensk-medborgare
Migrationsverket – "Nya regler för svenskt medborgarskap från 6 juni 2026" – https://www.migrationsverket.se/nyheter/nyhetsarkiv/2026-05-06-nya-regler-for-svenskt-medborgarskap-fran-6-juni-2026.html
