Sweden Wants to Revoke Residence Permits for Syrians Who Travel to Syria

Syrians with Swedish residence permits who travel to Syria to obtain a Syrian passport could lose their EU permit. 

This news was confirmed by Carl Bexelius, the Swedish Migration Board’s legal director, who revealed that nearly 36,000 Syrians live in Sweden and some of them could lose their Swedish citizenship. 

The same revealed that the reason why Syrians risked losing their residence permits in Sweden is because they were granted protection and obtaining Syrian citizenship could risk their refugee or protection status. 

Syrians Want to Visit Their Home Country But Without Risking Their Swedish Residence Permit 
Many Syrians living in Sweden want to visit Syria after the Assad regime, hoping to reconcile with their loved ones. 

Such is the case of Jawaher, who holds a residence permit in Sweden. Jawaher told Radio Sweden that there is an uncertainty lingering due to recent measures.

The assessment of whether someone’s residence permit should be revoked is made on a case-by-case basis. Jawaher wants to be able to stay in Sweden even if she travels to Syria. She says it feels unfair because she has established herself here and educated herself, her children are Swedish citizens, she says. 

Sweden Granted 92,000 Residence Permits to Foreigners Last Year 
In 2024, Swedish authorities granted 92,000 residence permits, most of which were granted for employment purposes. 

As the Swedish Migration Agency reveals, 29 per cent of all residence permits issued in 2024 were for work purposes. Family reunification was the second most common reason for residence permits granted last year, representing 26.3 per cent of all permits. 

Regarding the asylum requests, in December alone, the Swedish Migration Agency granted 663 residence permits. Most of the permits granted were issued to non-EU applicants. 

Source: https://schengen.news/sweden-wants-to-revoke-residence-permits-for-syrians-who-travel-to-syria/