Phasing out permanent residence permits and adapting Swedish law to the EU migration and asylum pact

The counter-proposal argues that the proposal entails far-reaching deteriorations of asylum rights and legal security and that asylum rights should carry more weight. The plan states that the right to seek asylum can never be compromised and that only permanent residence permits should be issued when asylum is granted. The committee's reasoning - that asylum-related immigration should be reduced to the EU law minimum level - is precisely the line the plan opposes.

• asylum rights cannot be compromiseddecisive»Rätten att söka asyl kan aldrig tummas på, vi kräver att endast permanenta uppehållstillstånd ska utfärdas vid beviljad asyl.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The right to seek asylum can never be compromised, we demand that only permanent residence permits are issued when asylum is granted.”
• defense of asylum rights»Asylrätten undergrävs just nu i land efter land.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Asylum rights are being undermined right now in country after country.”
• against conditional permits»Vänsterpartiet anser att den inhumana flyktingpolitik som råder, med tillfälliga och villkorade uppehållstillstånd, är en form av psykologiskt våld mot en redan utsatt grupp.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party considers the inhumane refugee policy that prevails, with temporary and conditional residence permits, to be a form of psychological violence against an already vulnerable group.”
• legally secure treatment»Myndigheter har ett särskilt ansvar att möta alla människor« (party programme ↗)“Authorities have a special responsibility to meet all people”

The plan states that the tightening of immigration policy stands firm and that the policy for the foreseeable future needs to be strict for integration to work. The counter-proposal requires that asylum rights weigh more heavily than implementation of the more restrictive order, which goes against the plan's line. The plan's requirement for order and clarity and increased state control in reception point in the same direction as the committee.

• strict immigration policydecisive»Vi har stramat åt migrationspolitiken, och denna linje ligger fast.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We have tightened immigration policy, and this line stands firm.”
• long-term strict immigration»Långsiktigt hållbar svensk migrationspolitik som under överskådlig tid behöver vara« (party programme ↗)“Long-term sustainable Swedish immigration policy that for the foreseeable future needs to be”
• state control in reception»Ordning och reda i flyktingmottagandet, genom ökad statlig kontroll, styrning och« (party programme ↗)“Order and clarity in refugee reception, through increased state control, management and”
• principles of the rule of law»Slå vakt om rättsstatens principer.« (party programme ↗)“Guard the principles of the rule of law.”

The counter-proposal protects asylum rights, legal certainty in review and children's rights against an adjustment that goes further than EU law requires. The plan makes asylum rights and permanent residence permits the main rule and demands strengthened legal certainty in the asylum process and that the child perspective permeates the migration laws. The plan's commitments thereby point directly to the counter-proposal's demands.

• asylum rights shall be protecteddecisive»Därför finns asylrätten. Asylrätten ska värnas i Sverige och i resten av EU och världen och« (party programme ↗)“Therefore asylum rights exist. Asylum rights shall be protected in Sweden and in the rest of the EU and the world and”
• legally secure asylum process»stärka rättssäkerheten i asylprocessen och stödet för hbtqi-flyktingar och andra sårbara grupper.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“strengthen legal certainty in the asylum process and support for LGBTQ+ refugees and other vulnerable groups.”
• child perspective in migration laws»Barnperspektivet ska genomsyra migrationslagarna, och Sverige ska ta vara på den stora kraft som finns i nya invånares vilja att delta i samhället.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The child perspective shall permeate the migration laws, and Sweden shall take advantage of the great force that exists in new residents' will to participate in society.”
• permanent permits as main rule»Därför ska permanenta uppehållstillstånd vara huvudregel.« (party programme ↗)“Therefore permanent residence permits shall be the main rule.”

flags: citat_migrerat

The party programme is unambiguous: the Centre Party strives for a generous and humane refugee and immigration policy and views the right to seek refuge as a human right. A proposal that cuts asylum rights to the EU's minimum level and is criticized for inadequate preparation and insufficient impact analysis is at odds with that. The plan's requirement for the rule of law and legally secure review strengthens the conclusion.

• generous and humane migration policydecisive»Centerpartiet strävar efter öppna gränser, fri rörlighet samt en generös och human flykting- och invandringspolitik.« (party programme ↗)“The Centre Party strives for open borders, free movement and a generous and humane refugee and immigration policy.”
• the right to asylum as a human right»Att få söka sig en fristad och en försörjning, inte bara inom det land där man är född, utan också utanför landets gränser, är en mänsklig rättighet.« (party programme ↗)“To be able to seek refuge and a livelihood, not only within the country where one is born, but also beyond the country's borders, is a human right.”
• openness and equal value of all»När andra ställer människa mot människa, grupp mot grupp, försvarar vi öppenheten, demokratin och principen om allas lika värde.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“When others set person against person, group against group, we defend openness, democracy and the principle of the equal value of all.”
• legal security and the rule of law»Rättsstaten och individens rättigheter gentemot staten måste försvaras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The rule of law and the individual's rights against the state must be defended.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's migration commitment is twofold: legislation shall be in line with other EU countries, but asylum rights shall be protected and asylum policy shall be humane and fair. The counter-proposal's core – that Swedish law shall not be made more restrictive than what EU law requires and that asylum rights protection weighs most heavily – follows from the first strand just as much as from the second. The plan gives no support for going below the common European level.

• protect asylum rightsdecisive»Viktigast i dag är att värna asylrätten och driva på för en gemensam och human flyktingpolitik i hela EU.« (party programme ↗)“Most important today is to protect asylum rights and push for a common and humane refugee policy throughout the EU.”
• humane migration policy»Människor som flyr krig och förföljelse ska få skydd. Asylrätten ska värnas där den med asylskäl ska stanna och den utan skäl lämnar landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“People fleeing war and persecution shall receive protection. Asylum rights shall be protected so that those with asylum grounds remain and those without grounds leave the country.”
• fair asylum policy»EU:s asylpolitik ska vara human och rättssäker och i linje med internationella konventioner.« (party programme ↗)“The EU's asylum policy shall be humane and fair and in line with international conventions.”
• simplified permit rules»Reglerna för ansökan om och förlängning av uppehållstillstånd för den som vistas här lagligt ska förenklas.« (party programme ↗)“The rules for application for and extension of residence permits for those who are here legally shall be simplified.”

Worldstate weighed in: Asylum applications 785 per month — The committee's reasons for reducing asylum-related immigration to sustainable levels carry less weight at historically low volumes

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto requires a strict migration policy precisely to address integration problems and exclusion, and the programme wants to counter irregular migration and protection being sought in the first safe country. The counter-proposal wants instead that the right to asylum shall weigh more heavily and stop the adaptation to EU law's minimum level. This stands in conflict with the documents' stated line.

• strict migration policydecisive»Stram migrationspolitik krävs för att ta itu med integrationsproblem och utanförskap.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strict migration policy is required to address integration problems and exclusion.”
• counter irregular migration»säkra land. Vi vill motverka irreguljär migration, motverka människosmuggling och ha ett« (party programme ↗)“safe country. We want to counter irregular migration, counter people smuggling and have a”
• valued right to asylum with strengthened border control»asylrätten, att försvara öppenheten och den fria rörligheten inom EU genom stärkt kontroll« (party programme ↗)“the right to asylum, to defend openness and free movement within the EU through strengthened border control”
• integration through work and language»Jobb, kunskap i svenska språket och det civila samhället är viktiga nycklar till integration.« (party programme ↗)“Jobs, knowledge of the Swedish language and civil society are important keys to integration.”

The plan explicitly requires that immigration decrease, that the number of asylum seekers goes down significantly and that asylum legislation is adapted to the legal minimum level according to EU law. The counter-proposal wants to stop exactly that adaptation with reference to asylum law and deliberation. It stands in direct conflict with the plan's commitments and is rejected.

• asylum law at EU minimum leveldecisive»Anpassa asyllagstiftningen efter den rättsliga miniminivån enligt EU-rätten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Adapt asylum legislation to the legal minimum level according to EU law”
• volume target for asylum reception»Införa ett volymmål för asylmottagandet på nordiska nivåer« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce a volume target for asylum reception at Nordic levels”
• fewer asylum seekers»Antalet asylsökande till Sverige behöver minska betydligt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The number of asylum seekers to Sweden needs to decrease significantly.”
• integration capacity guides the level»Vår integrationsförmåga ska vara styrande för nivån på invandringen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Our integration capacity shall be guiding for the level of immigration.”

The plan requires that direct asylum reception from countries outside the immediate region be reduced to near zero and that the Aliens Act be sharpened to the strictest possible level under EU law. The counter-proposal wants instead for asylum rights to weigh heavier and stop the phasing-out of permanent residence permits. This is in direct conflict with the plan's migration policy commitment.

• stopped asylum immigrationdecisive»Stoppa asylinvandringen från länder som inte utgör vårt närområde« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop asylum immigration from countries that are not part of our immediate region.”
• asylum reception near zero»Det direkta asylmottagandet från länder som inte utgör vårt närområde ska minskas till nära noll.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Direct asylum reception from countries that are not part of our immediate region shall be reduced to near zero.”
• strictest possible Aliens Act»Skärpa reglerna i utlänningslagen till striktas möjliga nivå enligt EU-rätten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sharpen the rules in the Aliens Act to the strictest possible level under EU law.”
• net minus in migration»Riktmärket under överskådlig tid ska vara att fler av de som befinner sig i Sverige illegalt eller saknar anknytning till det svenska samhället varje år återvänder, än de som beviljas asyl från utanför vårt närområde.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The target over a foreseeable period shall be that more of those who are in Sweden illegally or lack connection to Swedish society return each year than are granted asylum from outside our immediate region.”