Under the Swedish constitution, the removal of citizenship is currently prohibited, and next year the parliament will vote on changing the laws.
Center-left opposition parties say stripping criminals of their citizenship would be a step too far, as it would be difficult to decide how to define the law. Two opposition parties, the Left and the Greens, said they could not support the removal of citizenship at all.
However, Sweden’s centre-right ruling parties, backed by the more radical anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party, want changes to tackle a sharp rise in gang crime and a high rate of gun homicides.
“The proposals I received today will not allow us to return Swedish citizenship to the leaders of criminal gangs who are abroad and who are directing shootings, bombings and murders on the streets of Sweden,” Stromer told Swedish Radio.
The government points to neighboring Denmark, where citizenship can already be revoked for an act that “seriously harms the vital interests of the state”. The law has recently been expanded to include some forms of serious gang crime.
Sweden’s minority government has also tightened the rules for applying for citizenship.
Migration Minister Johan Forsel said that last year the police reported 600 cases of referrals of people who were considered a threat to national security.
From June 2026, anyone who wants to get a Swedish passport will generally have to live in the country for eight years instead of the current five. Swedish language and society tests will also be included.
Forssell said that becoming a Swede was “too easy” and something to be proud of: “We are going to build a Sweden that sticks together, where Swedish citizenship matters more.”
“Girls and boys have the right to swim and play football. If you don’t accept that, Sweden is not for you.’
Sweden Democrat leader Jimmy Akesson wants the government to go further by requiring new citizens to swear an oath of allegiance to Sweden.
However, this did not appear in the recommendations of the government inquiry.
The author of the inquiry, Kirsti Laakso Utvik, said that these changes would bring Sweden closer to other European countries.
