Time limit for the entitlement to sfi: three years or four
What's at stake: The decision affects how much time newly arrived immigrants with different educational backgrounds have to learn Swedish within the system before risking the loss of their entitlement to continued sfi instruction. It particularly concerns people with little or no prior schooling, who may need more time than those with an academic background, and can affect their prospects for further study, employment and participation in society.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the entitlement to sfi should be limited to three years, with the possibility of six-month extensions for special reasons, as the government proposes, or whether the entitlement should instead run for four years with the possibility of one-year extensions, in line with an earlier inquiry's proposal.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee rejects the motions calling for a four-year limit. The reason is that, in the committee's assessment - in line with the government's - a clear three-year limit contributes to better quality and throughput through more cohesive instruction, while the possibility of six-month extensions provides sufficient flexibility for students who need more time.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 1 (S, V, MP)
The reservation (S, V, MP) calls for the entitlement to sfi to run for four years, with the possibility of one-year extensions, instead of the government's three-year limit. The reasoning is that too short and rigid a time limit risks undermining both throughput and equity, and could create a two-tier system in which students with strong study experience manage within the time limit while those who need the most support are left behind.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
V–
S–
MP–
C–
L–
KD–
M–
SD–
YesNoAbstainAbsent
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 1 by S, V, MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The plan's stance / Actual vote
AI
Vote
Confidence
Evidence
Vown reservation
–
No 1/17/0/4
Sown reservation
–
No 0/93/0/13
MPown reservation
–
No 0/15/0/3
C
–
Yes 19/0/0/5
L
–
Yes 13/0/0/3
KD
–
Yes 16/0/0/3
M
–
Yes 60/0/0/8
SD
–
Yes 61/0/0/11
Broke with the party line
VIlona Szatmári Waldau(V, Uppsala län)
Yes — party line: No
MPs whose vote differs from their party's majority position in this division. Marked with a dark ring in the chamber view.
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects motions
2025/26:319 by Åsa Westlund et al. (S) amendment 1,
2025/26:357 by Camilla Hansén et al. (MP) amendment 1, and
2025/26:3810 by Anders Ygeman et al. (S) amendment 74.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna
2025/26:319 av Åsa Westlund m.fl. (S) yrkande 1,
2025/26:357 av Camilla Hansén m.fl. (MP) yrkande 1 och
2025/26:3810 av Anders Ygeman m.fl. (S) yrkande 74.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag approved the government's proposal to strengthen requirements in municipal adult education in Swedish for immigrants (sfi).
The proposals entail essentially the following:
The right to participate in sfi shall apply for three years from the time the person was first admitted to the education, with certain possibilities for extension.
The municipality shall establish an action plan for its efforts to reach the persons in the municipality who have the right to sfi.
A person who has the right to sfi shall have the right to participate in the education in another municipality than their home municipality, if the person based on their personal circumstances has special grounds.
When a person is admitted to sfi, their knowledge shall be assessed, unless such an assessment is obviously unnecessary. The result of the assessment shall form the basis for the individual study plan.
The individual study plan for a student in sfi shall contain information about the time the student was first admitted to the education.
The purpose of the government's proposal is, among other things, to make sfi education more efficient and coherent so that more individuals acquire sufficient knowledge of Swedish for further studies or to establish themselves in the labor market.
The legislative changes come into force on January 1, 2026.
Counter-proposals
The counter-proposal wants the right to sfi to extend for four years with the possibility of extension by one year at a time. (S, V, MP) — Reservation 1
Motion 2025/26:319 — med anledning av prop. 2025/26:10 Skärpta krav i kommunal vuxenutbildning i svenska för invandrare (sfi) av Åsa Westlund m.fl. (S)
Motion 2025/26:357 — med anledning av prop. 2025/26:10 Skärpta krav i kommunal vuxenutbildning i svenska för invandrare (sfi) av Camilla Hansén m.fl. (MP)
Motion 2025/26:3810 — Utgiftsområde 16 Utbildning och universitetsforskning av Anders Ygeman m.fl. (S)
Proposition 2025/26:10 — Skärpta krav i kommunal vuxenutbildning i svenska för invandrare (sfi)