Swedish government to double income requirement for immigrants

The government, supported by the Sweden Democrats right-wing populists, declared the income requirement for foreign workers would double in a bid to curb migration, the migration minister announced on Thursday.

Income requirements for labour immigrants will be raised from SEK 13,000 (€1,238) per month to SEK 26,560 (€2,534), announced Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard.

According to her, immigration can be reduced by a few thousand people that way as the measure is designed to stop low-wage jobs. Stenergard previously said that it is “completely unreasonable” that people come from the other side of the world for a monthly salary of SEK 13,000.

“This is an important part of the paradigm shift we are implementing in the field of immigration,” Stenergard said at a press conference.

Over 70% of labour immigrants earn more than SEK 25,000 (€2,390) per month, and most are unaffected by the new requirement.

Labour immigration is currently the largest part of immigration to Sweden. Last year, over 24,000 work permits were granted, compared to about 9,000 residence permits for protection seekers (excluding Ukrainian refugees).

According to the Swedish Migration Agency’s forecast, 100,000 foreigners are expected to apply for work permits in Sweden this year.

However, doubling the income requirement is not enough for the national conservative of the Sweden Democrats.

While the party (SD, affiliated to the European Conservatives and Reformists) is not part of the ruling coalition in Sweden – composed of the Moderates, the Liberals and the Christian Democrats – they offer necessary support to the centre-right government of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in exchange for the implementation of their politics, namely on migration.

As the chair of the labour market committee and member of the Sweden Democrats Magnus Persson reminded, the parties agreed in the coalition agreement on an increased income requirement for labour immigrants corresponding to the median wage, around SEK 33 000 (€3 151).

“It’s a sum we have landed on now, but the idea is that we will get there in the future,” Persson said.

Further tightening is therefore expected, even more so considering the recent tensions between the eurosceptic Sweden Democrats and the ruling coalition on migration, with prominent SD politicians threatening to withdraw their necessity to the government over the version of the Migration pact voted by the European Parliament last month.

An investigation is therefore currently reviewing how the wage requirement can be raised more and, at the same time allow for more exceptions such as seasonal berry pickers.

“Fast food workers, kitchen and restaurant assistants, and cleaners and home service staff are examples of occupations where average wages are below the proposed level,” said Magnus Persson.

The proposal is now being sent for consultation, and the plan is for it to enter into force on 1 October.

(Charles Szumski | EURACTIV.com)