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RESIDENCY PERMITS

What could the Swedish civics test for permanent residency look like?

Sweden plans to introduce language and civics tests for permanent residency from 2027. What could the civics test entail and what topics will you need to know about?

Published: 1 June 2023 14:59 CEST
Updated: 5 June 2023 05:15 CEST
What could the Swedish civics test for permanent residency look like?
You could be asked simple questions about Sweden's political system and who can vote, for example. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

These language and civics tests haven’t yet been drawn up, but here’s what they could look like based on the suggestions in a new proposal.

What topics will the society test cover?

The test on knowledge of Swedish society would be designed to “test basic knowledge needed to live and work in Swedish society”, the proposal states, and it will be based on material adapted from the website informationsverige.se.

It would test the following areas, according to the proposal:

  • Coming to Sweden
  • Living in Sweden
  • Supporting yourself and developing in Sweden
  • The rights and obligations of the individual
  • Starting a family and living with children in Sweden
  • Having influence in Sweden
  • Caring for your health in Sweden
  • Growing old in Sweden

Will it be in Swedish?

Yes. It will be at CEFR level A2, the same level of Swedish as the language test.

This is equivalent to SFI level C, and is classified as a “basic” level of Swedish.

It won’t be a formal test of your Swedish, but you will have to have A2 level skills in reading Swedish in order to understand the questions.

Here are the CEFR guidelines for an A2 level:

“Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.”

What would the test itself be like?

According to the proposal, the test would be held digitally and would consist of two parts each lasting 50 minutes, with a ten minute break in between. This is quite a long test – a digital driving theory test is only 50 minutes long for comparison – so there will be time to cover a lot of different topics.

The questions asked will be so-called “closed questions”, so you will not be asked to argue or explain, just choose an answer. Tests will be marked automatically, allowing for a quick turnaround.

They will be a simplified version of material on the informationsverige.se website, adapted to A2 level Swedish and less comprehensive.

The proposal states that a glossary of terminology would be included for vocabulary above A2 level.

Although the exact layout of the test has not been confirmed, the proposal recommends that tests are held at the Swedish Transport Administration as they already have a system in place for handling large-scale digital driving theory tests.

Will there be a course or textbook I can use to study for the test?

There will not be a textbook, but there will be a website you’ll be able to access to read up on the topics covered in the test. This is due in part to the fact that websites are more easily updated than textbooks, and also the fact that a website is more accessible than a book you may have to pay for.

It’s worth bearing in mind that by the time you qualify for permanent residency you will have been living in Sweden for around four years, so there’s a good chance you will have picked up most of the information covered in the test just by living your daily life here.

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POLITICS

Sweden still ‘a land of possibilities’ for foreigners says finance minister

Sweden's finance minister, Elisabeth Svantesson, has defended her government's decision to make cuts to some services used by foreigners, saying the country remains a 'land of possibilities' for newcomers.

Published: 28 September 2023 12:29 CEST
Sweden still 'a land of possibilities' for foreigners says finance minister

Asked by The Local at an event in Malmö whether her government was hostile to foreigners, following cuts to funding for organisations like ABF, which among other thing teach Swedish to people who can’t study SFI, and also to the ethnic associations research shows can be an important tool for integration, Svantesson said Sweden still offered a lot to immigrants. 

“If you put it all together, we do an enormous amount to make sure that people from other countries can come in [to society], she said. “We take action upon action, and I’d argue that Sweden is a ‘land of possibilities’ for those from another country.”

She conceded, however, that the budget was being cut for folkbildning, the term for popular adult education organisations like ABF – which is linked to the Social Democrat party – or Medborgarskolan, which is linked to the Moderate Party. 

“Yes, the money for folkbildning is reduced, absolutely,” she said. “But there’s still a lot of money left.” 

She then ran through the ways in which Sweden was in fact very generous to foreigners newly arrived in the country. 

“You get free Swedish lessons at SFI [Swedish for Immigrants], and if you’re an asylum seeker, you can even get paid to study Swedish. We have the etableringsjobb [introductory jobs], which together with the unions and employers we are very keen to get going as soon as possible.” 

She added that education in Sweden was completely free, with some even paid to study.

So to argue that her government was “hostile to foreigners”, she concluded, was way off the mark. 

“I feel very confident, and secure and certain that anyone who truly wants to get on can go extremely far in Sweden.”  

The event, an informal meeting with the Moderate Party in Malmö on Wednesday evening, rounded off a day in which Svantesson had toured Skåne together with Sweden’s Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, vising an old people’s home in Åhus and a school in Broby. 

The intention was clearly to show that the government was concerned about the ability of municipalities and regional governments to fund education and healthcare, even though both regions and municipalities have complained that the extra funding they received in the budget last week is insufficient to cover the impact of inflation. 

The meeting, which was intended as “an open audience” with the two politicians, was attended by activists from the Extinction Rebellion protest group.

One after another, they interrupted the proceedings with statements about the increased emissions resulting from decisions taken by the government, several then sang a song, with each in turn dragged away by plain clothes police officers. 

An activist from Extinction Rebellion is dragged off the stage by security guards after interrupting the proceedings. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT
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