Stockholm has announced a significant relaxation of its immigration rules, raising the age at which teenage migrants can be deported from 18 to 21. The reform, unveiled on Monday by Migration Minister Johan Forssell, addresses a long-standing controversy over cases where children of asylum seekers were ordered to leave Sweden even though their parents had been granted the right to stay.
The Swedish Migration Agency had already halted such deportations in March, after the government signalled its intent to revise the rules. The so-called “teenage deportations” had drawn heavy criticism in Sweden, with both the centre-right coalition government and its far-right supporting party, the Sweden Democrats, acknowledging the system was flawed.
How the rules worked—and why they changed
Under the previous framework, when adult asylum seekers received residence permits, their children were also granted permanent residency. But since 2021, minors have only received temporary permits, and upon turning 18—the legal age of adulthood—they were required to reapply. In many cases, they were deemed not to meet the criteria and were ordered to leave, even as their parents remained legally in the country.
“We are taking an important step today. I am very pleased to be able to present this solution,” Forssell said at a press conference. He emphasised that teenagers who “have done everything right should, of course, have the opportunity to work, study and become part of our beautiful country and our society.”
The new rules raise the age of legal adulthood for these cases from 18 to 21, giving affected young people more time to establish ties and meet residency requirements. Additionally, individuals who are subject to a deportation order but have not yet left Sweden can now submit a fresh application for a residence permit. Those who have already left the country can also apply, either online or at a Swedish embassy, provided they held a residence permit on family reunification grounds at some point in the past three years.
The reform marks a notable departure from the tough line on immigration that Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s coalition government, propped up by the far-right Sweden Democrats, has pursued since taking office in 2022. Forssell was careful to stress that the government remains committed to a “very strict asylum policy,” but conceded that the previous rules had created unjust outcomes.
The policy shift comes amid broader European debates on migration management. The EU is set to approve return hubs and tougher deportation rules, reflecting a continent-wide push to balance enforcement with humanitarian considerations. Sweden’s move, while easing one specific rule, does not signal a general softening: the government continues to advocate for restrictive asylum policies, and the Sweden Democrats have backed this reform as a targeted fix rather than a change of direction.
For the teenagers caught in the previous system, the change offers a path to remain in the country where they have grown up. The Swedish Migration Agency will now process the new applications, and observers expect a significant number of cases to be reopened. The reform also aligns Sweden more closely with practices in other Nordic countries, where the age of majority for immigration purposes is sometimes set higher than 18.
As Europe grapples with the legacy of the 2015 migration surge, Sweden’s adjustment highlights the ongoing tension between political commitments to control immigration and the practical realities of families who have built lives in their host countries. The new rules take effect immediately, and the government has indicated it will monitor their impact closely.
