Permanent residence permits for asylum seekers could be revoked under a proposed new law put forward by a government appointed inquiry in Sweden. The stated aim is to encourage more people to meet the requirements for Swedish citizenship, but critics argue the move is intended to appease the Sweden Democrats, a party critical of mass migration and a key supporter of the governing coalition.
The government has not yet decided whether the proposal will be turned into law.
“The proposal will be sent out for consultation, after which the government and the Sweden Democrats will take a position,” Migration Minister Johan Forssell of the Moderate Party told Swedish state broadcaster SVT. He acknowledged that revoking permanent residence permits is “a complex issue.”
The proposed law would apply to asylum seekers and their family members who hold permanent residence permits. Labour migrants would not be affected.
An estimated 98,000 to 180,000 people could fall under the new rules. Many arrived in Sweden more than a decade ago, including large numbers of Assyrians who fled ISIS attacks in Syria and Iraq.
Allowed to stay
The vast majority are expected to be allowed to remain in Sweden if the law were introduced, either because they already meet the requirements for citizenship or because they qualify for long term residence.
Permanent residence permits would not be revoked if the individual chooses to apply for Swedish citizenship.
“I don’t think people should be worried,” Forssell said.
Despite these assurances, the proposal has drawn strong criticism from a wide range of groups and organizations.
The Swedish Christian Council, which represents 27 church denominations in Sweden including all Assyrian church denominations, warned of serious consequences. In a statement, the council said: “Those who meet the requirements for citizenship can apply for it, but processing times can take several years and the outcome is uncertain. Many also lack the ability to prove their identity due to shortcomings in their home countries’ administrative systems and therefore do not meet the requirements for Swedish citizenship. Those who can neither apply for citizenship nor meet the requirements for a temporary residence permit risk being deported.”
Tony Haddou, a Swedish Assyrian member of parliament from the far left party Vänsterpartiet, has also sharply criticized the proposal.
“The proposal raises a number of serious questions about legal certainty, proportionality, and respect for fundamental rights,” Haddou said. He added: “Unilaterally revoking such decisions may conflict with Swedish law, EU law, and administrative law principles designed to protect individuals from arbitrary exercises of power.”
Nasheit’s new life in Iraqi Assyria
Sweden’s current right leaning government has already increased deportations. One of those deported under the tougher immigration policy is Assyrian Nasheit Pauls, who was put on a plane in June 2025 and sent back to Iraqi Assyria after living in Sweden for 18 years. He suffers from medical difficulties, having had toes on one of his feet amputated.
He has returned to his hometown of Bashiqa in the Nineveh Plain, where local churches have helped him find shelter and work as a caretaker. He now survives largely on donations from church visitors.
“I am still shocked by how Sweden treated me in the end. I lived there for 18 years after all,” he told a Swedish newspaper in Södertälje, a town with a large Assyrian population where he was living.
With even stricter rules now under consideration, many more Assyrians could face deportation in the coming year.
