“If you have a temporary residence permit you are not allowed to bring your family over. That is the established practice. We see no reason to change that now,” the agency’s legal head Mikael Ribbenvik told news agency TT.

The agency has been looking into the matter as a new EU directive stipulates that all temporary residence permits within member states should last three years and not one, as was previously the case in Sweden.

The agency therefore saw reason to look over the rules regarding refugees’ families. However, the agency on Wednesday decided that there was no reason to change current regulations and will be turning down Syrians applying for having family members join them here.

“That’s the general rule but of course there will always be exceptions,” Ribbenvik told SR.

In order for an exception to be made however, there have to be significantly distressing circumstances, according to Ribbenvik.

“One must remember that in Sweden we have two systems; one is the asylum scheme which pertains to those that come to Sweden to stay, and then there is a family reunion scheme,” Ribbenvik told SR.

“When we say that all Syrians who come to Sweden can stay – we are talking about those seeking asylum.”

TT/The Local/rm