Rules for some immigrants on family reunification permits, often referred to as ‘sambo’ permits, were already tightened up last autumn, with those changes primarily affecting under-21s and bringing stricter maintenance requirements for refugees. 

A new inquiry has been launched in order to further tighten immigration rules for those wishing to join family members in Sweden, with Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard telling a press conference that it will affect “all types of family reunification permit where the applicant is applying to join someone with a residence permit in Sweden.”

“This could, for example, be people with a residence permit due to a need for protection, work, or studies,” she added.

The inquiry will also look into tightening the rules for people applying to join Swedish citizens.

“For this group, however, the rules for family reunification must not be worse than those for so-called ‘third country’ citizens,” she said. “For example, there should not be a stricter maintenance requirement for Swedish citizens than for third country citizens.”

Third country citizens refers to non-Nordic, non-EU citizens.

In the government and the Sweden Democrats’ coalition document, the Tidö agreement, the parties pledged to limit the rules for family reunification permits to the lowest possible level under EU law.

“The government wants to significantly reduce the number of asylum seekers coming to Sweden, as well as the number of approved residence permits,” Sweden Democrat migration spokesperson Ludvig Aspling added. “This is one part of that.”

“The possibility of family reunification is a factor that can affect an individual’s choice of where to apply for asylum, and it is therefore important that it is the rules for family reunification for people who seek asylum in Sweden and who are granted residence permits are not more generous in Sweden than EU law, or the law of other international treaties which Sweden is party to, dictates.”

The inquiry will look into limiting which family members can join asylum seekers in Sweden – this currently varies depending on the type of permit the person in Sweden holds.

It will also assess whether the current maintenance requirement should be further tightened, or introduced for certain permits where it is not currently required, for example for people who are legally defined as long-term residents of another EU country (varaktigt bosatt in Swedish), who want to reunite with another family member in Sweden.

“This maintenance requirement is designed, most of all, to encourage integration,” Aspling said. “It has been assessed as being able to motivate the person in Sweden to find work, become self-sufficient and find their own home for themselves and their family.”

In addition to this, it will look into the possibility for introducing a requirement for applicants to take out full coverage health insurance in order to qualify for a permit. This is already in place for some immigrants, for example those on student permits, but not for family reunification permits.

It will also assess whether DNA analysis should be used “to a greater extent”, for example in order to prove that family members are actually related. The Migration Agency is currently allowed to offer applicants DNA analysis if they need to prove a familial bond.

“We don’t know to what extent this is used today, so we need to investigate that,” Malmer Stenergard said.

“This could, for example, be used to protect children from being forced to join someone who they are not, in fact, related to,” Aspling said.

The inquiry will also assess whether it should be made possible for applications for family reunification permits to be denied for people who have committed a crime against a family member and been deported from Sweden, who then apply to join the same family member in Sweden.

The results of the inquiry will be presented no later than August 25th 2025.