Sweden Overhauls Welfare Policies To Push Immigrants To Work

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ER Editor: Well well. Sweden Democrats are populist-right. Readers may also be interested in this Reddit piece which summarizes information from The Local. A snippet —

As a rule of thumb, foreigners should live in Sweden for five years before they qualify for a series of social insurance benefits, according to the new inquiry, led by judge Göran Lundahl and submitted to Social Security Minister Anna Tenje on April 29th.

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In practice, the groups who will be the most affected are non-EU nationals who are in Sweden on a work permit or study permit and their family members, people who have a residency permit due to exceptionally distressing circumstances, and people whose expulsion from Sweden has been halted with an impediment to enforcement order.

Most EU citizens and refugees will not be affected by the proposed new rules, as Swedish law is obliged to follow EU rules and international asylum conventions.

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A reminder that this sort of policy has been in the works in Sweden since around 2023 —

Sweden to make it harder for non-European migrants to claim benefits

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“Benefits should go to those who contribute, not to those who only take,” the Sweden Democrats said, “Sweden shall no longer be the world’s social services office.”

ZOLTA GYORI for EUROPEAN CONSERVATIVE

The Swedish government, in cooperation with the Sweden Democrats, has unveiled a sweeping benefit reform aimed at ending a system that has allowed immigrants to access generous  benefits as soon as they arrive in the country.

The plan, presented today by the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Social Affairs, will be included in the 2026 budget bill, with SEK 1.5 billion (€132 million) allocated for its implementation.

Minister for the Elderly and Social Insurance Anna Tenje  Åsa Jackson / Regeringskansliet

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According to the government’s press release, the reform is designed to replace “the benefit line with the work line” and to “place significantly higher demands on people to make themselves employable.” It introduces a benefit cap, new qualification rules for welfare, activity requirements for social assistance recipients, and a temporary job bonus for those moving from assistance into work.

“This is about justice. It must be more rewarding to work than not to,” said Minister for the Elderly and Social Insurance Anna Tenje (Moderates) in the press release. She stressed that long-term reliance on benefits is “devastating” both for individuals and for children “who grow up without seeing their parents go to work.” Minister of Labour Johan Britz added that “for a long time, contributions have been passive instead of active. Now we are ensuring that more people get a chance to contribute.”

One of the most crucial elements of the reform is the introduction of stricter qualification requirements for newcomers to Sweden. Linda Lindberg, the Sweden Democrats’ group leader, argued that “it is not reasonable that people who have just moved to Sweden immediately have access to our generous welfare system.”

The party reinforced this position on X, writing that “for years, a naive and harmful migration and welfare policy has allowed people to step in and immediately partake in a welfare system that generations of Swedes have worked to build.”

The post further explained that, under the agreement, people who settle in Sweden from January 1, 2027, must have lived in the country for at least five years or meet income requirements in order to qualify for benefits such as parental leave, child allowance, housing allowance, and elderly income support. “Benefits should go to those who contribute, not to those who only take,” the Sweden Democrats stated, adding that “Sweden shall no longer be the world’s social services office.”

Sweden Democrat party chair Jimmie Åkesson commented on the policy changes on Facebook, saying,

The focus is now on demands rather than permissiveness. Swedish welfare should not be a smörgåsbord where you can just help yourself. Swedish welfare must be earned.

Christian Democrat fiscal policy spokesperson Hans Eklind emphasized the importance of the activity requirement within the reform, stating that “do your duty, demand your right” is one of Sweden’s fundamental values.

He explained that unemployed adults capable of working will be obliged to participate in full-time activities provided by municipalities, ranging from workplace-based initiatives to language training and job-seeking programs.

Source

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