Strengthened requirements for good conduct and honesty

As of July 13, the Swedish Migration Agency has implemented stricter rules regarding the assessment of good conduct for residence permit applications. The changes to the Aliens Act allow the agency to refuse or revoke residence permits if an applicant does not meet requirements for good conduct and law-abiding behavior. Good conduct is not strictly about criminal offenses; it also includes non-criminal actions that go against societal rules. This means that when applying for a residence permit, the agency will conduct a thorough assessment to evaluate whether the individual has behaved in a way that is not consistent with these expectations. Importantly, isolated minor incidents of misconduct are typically not grounds for refusal, but repeated behaviors might be considered. Assessments are made on a case-by-case basis and must be justified officially, taking into account an individual's grounds for residing alongside the society's interest in having law-abiding residents. These requirements do not apply to those applying for residence permits based on international protection, but they do apply to most other non-EU law-based permits.