Let Kids Born In Sweden Be Swedish Citizens

02 May 2013

Children born in Sweden to foreign-born parents should automatically become Swedish citizens if one of the parents has lived in the country for at least five years, according to the findings of a government inquiry.

The parent must also have been registered as a legal resident in Sweden and hold a valid residence permit.

The inquiry also suggests that immigrants who learn the language to a certain level of proficiency, such as passing the highest level of Swedish for immigrants language classes, can qualify for citizenship one year earlier than they can today, Gunnar Strömmer, the author of the inquiry's findings, wrote in an opinion article published in the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.

The report will be submitted to the government on Monday.

Strömmer added that foreign-born parents who fulfill the requirements but don't want their children to automatically become Swedish citizens could apply to prevent it from happening.

Today, children born in Sweden to parents who aren't Swedish citizens assume the citizenship of their parents.

"It's desirable that all children who are born in Sweden and who are expected to grow up here should also be citizens here," Strömmer wrote in DN.

The language bonus that would allow immigrants to seek citizenship sooner is meant to motivate those who want to be Swedish to learn the language as quickly as possible.

Those who succeed can reduce the time they must wait to apply for citizenship to four years, or three years of the applicant is stateless or a refugee.

The language bonus does not apply, however, to residents from other Nordic countries, who can already apply early for Swedish citizensip.

Source: http://www.thelocal.se/47604/20130429/#.UYHqZKLqHSk