Sweden plans to tighten rules for gaining citizenship

Stockholm: Sweden said Monday it planned to tighten rules to acquire citizenship, introducing honest living and financial requirements, a language a...

Stockholm: Sweden said Monday it planned to tighten rules to acquire citizenship, introducing "honest living" and financial requirements, a language and general knowledge test and raising the residency requirement from five to eight years.

If approved by parliament, the new rules would enter into force on June 6, Sweden's national holiday, and would apply even to applications already being processed.

Migration Minister Johan Forssell, whose right-wing minority government holds a majority with the backing of the far-right Sweden Democrats, told reporters it was currently too easy to acquire Swedish citizenship.

"Citizenship needs to mean more than it does today," he said.

"Pride is something you feel when you've worked hard at something. But working hard is not something that has characterised citizenship.