Swedish citizenship reforms: Plan to introduce language tests for new Swedes

The Local. (2019a, October 29). Swedish citizenship reforms: Plan to introduce language tests for new Swedes. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.thelocal.se/20191029/swedish-citizenship-reforms-prove-your-language-skills-to-become-a-swede

Swedish citizenship reforms: Plan to introduce language tests for new Swedes

The Swedish government has launched an inquiry that will propose legislation to make Swedish language skills compulsory for citizenship.

Unlike many of its European neighbours, Sweden currently has no language or civics tests for people applying for citizenship. Instead, they need to have lived in Sweden legally for a certain length of time and shown good behaviour, which means that a criminal record or unpaid debts can affect applications.

But that could be about to change.

A government inquiry launched on Tuesday is set to investigate how the law could be changed to make it compulsory for applicants to pass a test in Swedish and civics in order to get citizenship.

When The Local quizzed the Swedish parties about this issue before the last general election, in our election guide for international residents in September 2018, both the Social Democrats and the Greens said they did not want to propose language tests for would-be citizens. The Centre party did not outright answer the question at the time, and the Liberal party said that yes, they did want language tests.

But the government inquiry is part of a cross-bloc deal between the ruling Social Democrat-Green coalition and the Centre and Liberal parties, whose support the former needed to form a government in January.

“Language is the gateway to jobs and getting established in society. Good opportunities to language teaching and education are a prerequisite for getting a foot on the labour market and in society at large. At the same time, it is important that the requirements are drawn up fairly, are legally safe and fulfil their purpose,” said Social Democrat Justice Minister Morgan Johansson in a statement on Tuesday.

The inquiry is also to look into whether exceptions are needed for certain groups for whom passing a language test could be difficult, for example children, elderly, people with learning disabilities. The government instructions also mention other Nordic citizens as a possible exception to the rule.

When The Local surveyed our readers earlier this year, the majority of respondents felt that a language test would be a good step, with many highlighting the individual responsibility to adapt to Swedish society. However, there was a fairly even split, with others arguing that not all foreigners need to learn the native language and suggesting English should instead be accepted as a second language in Sweden.

Overall, most of the respondents at the time cautioned against a one-size-fits all policy when it comes to citizenship requirements. Several readers said that if changes were made to how citizenship is granted, it would be best to weigh different factors on a case-by-case basis, taking into account whether the individual had personal relationships or a job in Sweden.

The inquiry is also set to propose new ways of making it harder for parents to renounce their children’s Swedish citizenship, to protect children at risk of being taken abroad to marry against their will.

The final report is to be presented by May 1st, 2021, with the parts of the report dealing with the language and civics tests to be presented as early as October 15th, 2020.

Member comments

a foreigner – 29 Oct 2019 14:38

Sweden nowadays is shamelessly and overtly presenting its discriminatory linguistic model, just as other conservative European countries, in order to legitimize its expulsion of other non-Swedish groups. The fascination with linguisticism has its root in the desire to preserve white nationalism, whereas for the global market nowadays, English should suffice.

a different foreigner – 29 Oct 2019 21:26

Nah. Learning Swedish is a good way to show respect for our host country. It makes perfect sense that if someone wants citizenship, they should be willing to do what they can to integrate with their new home.

a foreigner – 30 Oct 2019 16:34

Is this really learning Swedish the good way to show respect for the host country? There are many ways to use your human capitals to contribute to the society where you live in. Again, it’s the fascination with Swedish language and the prevalent discourse of integration that requires a deconstruction. Well, it also depends on your level of knowledge and understanding in order to deconstruct it.

lala – 02 Nov 2019 22:54

In a country where 90% of people speaks English, why Swedish language skills should come first instead of contribution to the society, with being able to speak Swedish, or doing the same thing with English only? Why a person on social welfare, who learns the language on the expense of same social welfare, should be more worthy of citizenship, just pure to the fact of being able to speak Swedish, rather than a person who speaks English only but PAYS and CONTRIBUTES to social welfare rather than consumes it?

Fredriksson, J. (2019, August 7). Swedish – A New Requirement for Citizenship.  Retrieved November 20, 2019, from http://www.swedishpress.com/article/swedish-%E2%80%93-new-requirement-citizenship

Swedish – A New Requirement for Citizenship

In the government agreement between the Social Democrats, the Greens, the Liberals and the Centre Party a number of integration policies were presented that will be introduced during the mandate period, including a so-called language requirement for citizenship. According to the policy proposal, an approved examination in Swedish and basic social studies must be completed in order to obtain Swedish citizenship. This article summarizes the Swedish debate on the proposed requirements for citizenship, describes the research on requirements for citizenship or residence permit, and ends with a European comparison.

The language requirement – a controversial proposal

The so-called language requirement has been debated since the proposal was presented. Advocates argue that a language requirement would increase the incentives to learn the Swedish language and will lead to an improved integration of immigrants. This argument proposes that language is a key part of a successful integration and that greater incentives are necessary. Another prominent argument is that a language requirement for citizenship will increase the status of Swedish citizenship.

Critics doubt that a language requirement would increase the incentives to learn Swedish. Motivation to learn Swedish is only a small part of language training. These critics, including researchers, point out that language learning depends on study and school background. In addition, mental stress can adversely affect language learning, which means that a language requirement can be rather counterproductive. Another common critique is that the language requirement is a type of symbolic policy that lacks support in research – meaning that it does not affect neither language learning nor integration.

What does the research say?

Language requirements to obtain citizenship is part of a larger policy trend in Europe called “civic integration”, which has been characterized by an ambition to strengthen and defend national identity. It is based on a changed view on integration, that it should be promoted through demands rather than rights. Rights, such as citizenships or residence permits, are no longer seen as means of integration, but as the final goal of integration. Such policy measures are all characteristic of this trend, since individuals’ access to certain rights are conditioned upon them.

The few studies done on the effect of civic integration policies do not show any clear integration improvements. However, studies show that tougher integration requirements have led to fewer people being able to obtain citizenship, residence permits or the possibility of family reunification.

European outlook: three examples

The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark have introduced requirements for new arrivals in order to have access to various types of rights: residence permit, citizenship and family reunification. However, the requirements differ between the countries when it comes to what is being tested, level of required knowledge and which rights that are conditional.

The Netherlands applies language requirements at every stage of the integration process. An approved test in language and social studies (‘civic integration diploma’) is a requirement for being able to obtain a permanent residence permit and citizenship. The possibility of family reunification is also associated with language requirements: in order to be admitted to The Netherlands, family members must do a language test at an embassy abroad. Similar rules can be found in Germany, where a newly arrived person is required to have a basic knowledge of German in order to obtain a permanent residence permit, obtain citizenship or be reunited with his family. Denmark is an example of a country where the demands for language and knowledge are high in order to obtain citizenship. The Danish citizenship test requires both language skills and knowledge of Danish culture, history and society.

The Local. (2019b, October 29). What we know about Sweden’s potential language tests for new citizens. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.thelocal.se/20191029/what-we-know-about-swedens-potential-citizenship-tests-so-far

What we know about Sweden’s potential language tests for new citizens

Sweden is looking into tougher hurdles for citizenship. But what does that mean and when would it be introduced?

What are Sweden’s current citizenship requirements?

Unlike many of its European neighbours, Sweden has no language or civics tests for people applying for citizenship. Instead, they need to have met criteria including living in Sweden legally for a certain length of time (five years, or three years if you have been living with a Swedish partner for at least two years), and having “conducted oneself well in Sweden”, which means that a criminal record or unpaid debts can affect applications.

And how could this change?

The government on October 29th announced it was launching an inquiry looking into ways of changing the legislation to introduce language and civics tests as a condition for gaining Swedish citizenship.

It is not yet clear how these tests would look – that’s what the inquiry is for.

The inquiry will also look into whether some groups would be exempted from the requirements, for example children, the elderly or people with learning disabilities. Exceptions could potentially also be made for other Nordic citizens – some of the Scandinavian languages are similar and for example a Dane or Norwegian may be able to make themselves understood in their own native tongue without speaking Swedish.

Who made the decision?

The move is part of a cross-bloc deal between the ruling Social Democrat-Green coalition and the Centre and Liberal parties, whose support the former needed to form a government in January.

When The Local quizzed the Swedish parties about this issue before the last general election, in our election guide for international residents in September 2018, both the Social Democrats and the Greens said they did not want to propose language tests for would-be citizens. The Centre party did not outright answer the question at the time, and the Liberal party said that yes, they did want language tests.

Why are they doing this?

Concerns have been raised about integration and unemployment among immigrants in Sweden, and Social Democrat Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said this was part of the reason. “Language is the gateway to jobs and getting established in society. Good opportunities to language teaching and education are a prerequisite for getting a foot on the labour market and in society at large. At the same time, it is important that the requirements are drawn up fairly, are legally safe and fulfil their purpose,” he said in a statement.

How do people feel about this?

When The Local surveyed our readers earlier this year, the majority of respondents felt that a language test would be a good step, with many highlighting the individual responsibility to adapt to Swedish society. However, there was a fairly even split, with others arguing that not all foreigners need to learn the native language and suggesting English should instead be accepted as a second language in Sweden.

Overall, most of the respondents at the time cautioned against a one-size-fits all policy. Several readers said that if changes were made to how citizenship is granted, it would be best to weigh different factors on a case-by-case basis, taking into account whether the individual had personal relationships or a job in Sweden.

Is there anything else that’s changing?

The inquiry is also set to propose new ways of making it harder for parents to renounce their children’s Swedish citizenship, to protect children at risk of being taken abroad to marry against their will. It is also to look at ways of making it harder for young immigrants with a serious criminal record to become citizens.

The final report is to be presented to the government by May 1st, 2021, with the part relating to the language and civics test presented as early as October 15th, 2020. It would then be in the hands of the government whether or not to act on the report or when to do it, and perhaps propose a legal bill to parliament. So there is no confirmed date at the moment for when the reforms, if they go ahead, would come into force.

What is not changing?

The government’s instructions specifically say that the inquiry must not propose any changes to Sweden’s constitution. This means that there will be no proposals to make it possible to withdraw citizenship for people with dual nationality, something the more right-wing Moderates and Sweden Democrats have called for.

“That rules out the perhaps most urgent citizenship issue, which is that Sweden does not have the ability to revoke citizenship, for example for people who have fought for Isis and have committed terror crimes,” Gunnar Strömmer, party secretary for the conservative Moderate party, told Swedish news agency TT.

How many people have become new citizens this year?

Sweden has granted 33,567 new citizenships between January and October this year, with the vast majority (22,383) given to Syrians, followed by people from Afghanistan (2,991) and the United Kingdom (2,894).

Edwards, C. (2019, July 31). How international residents feel about Swedish tests for immigrants. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.thelocal.se/20190731/reader-voices-should-swedish-language-skills-be-a-requirement-for-citizenship

How international residents feel about Swedish tests for immigrants

Should Swedish skills be a requirement for citizenship, and how can Sweden help immigrants learn the language?

UPDATED: Sweden’s government wants to look into introducing language tests for would-be citizens. So how do international residents feel about whether Swedish skills should be compulsory in order to gain citizenship?

The Swedish government on October 29th launched an inquiry with the aim of introducing new legislation that would make it compulsory for would-be citizens to pass a language and civics test. Here’s what The Local’s readers told us in July when we wrote about potential plans to do so:

When we surveyed a group of readers, there was a fairly even split, although slightly more were in favour of introducing a language test for both citizenship and permanent residence than were against.

Currently, and unlike many of its European neighbours, Sweden has no language or civics tests for people applying for citizenship. Instead, citizens need to have met criteria including living in Sweden legally for a certain length of time (which is reduced for those in a relationship with a Swedish citizen), and having “conducted oneself well in Sweden”, which means that a criminal record or unpaid debts can affect applications.

‘Parallel societies’

The majority of the readers who responded to our survey felt that a language test would be a good step, with many highlighting the individual responsibility to adapt to Swedish society.

“If one decides to move to a new country, one has the civil obligation to integrate to their new society and that includes learning the local language,” said Priscilla Silva, a Spanish- and English-speaker currently learning Swedish. “This is a process that will take several months or even years, but it’s not impossible if one really puts effort into it.”

If people intend to live in Sweden permanently without speaking the language, “parallel societies will always exist, hence breaking the cohesion of the Swedish society”, Gustavo Oliviera said.

Meanwhile, several respondents said they approved of making Swedish language skills a requirement for citizenship, but not for permanent residence.

“Language skills [for permanent residents] should not be made compulsory as a highly skilled person with a job is contributing a lot and might not have much time to focus on language,” said Ahmed Hafeez. He also suggested that companies which hire international workers could be obligated to offer Swedish courses at work for their foreign employees.

Another issue raised by readers was that many foreigners have their temporary permit extensions rejected, meaning it can be hard to plan for a long-term future in Sweden before receiving permanent residence.

“Honestly, why should I invest my time and effort to learn a small language when there is no guarantee that I can stay permanently in Sweden?” one reader asked.

Long distance learning and improvements to SFI

Given that most people agree the language is a key component of integration, how could Sweden better encourage and assist immigrants in language-learning?

Some said the country did enough already, by offering free Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) classes to new arrivals, as well as language cafes hosted in many libraries and community centres and tech solutions such as the partly state-subsidized app SVT Språkplay.

But many called for improvements to the system, with repeated criticisms of varied standards of teaching in SFI (something that teachers themselves have also called attention to), long waiting lists (of around six months in some cities) to join a course and sometimes inconvenient times or locations.

“Most learning facilities are not available for coordination number holders, and because of this international people have to wait for two to three years to fulfil the requirement to take a language class,” said Kamran Haider.

According to Swedish law anyone who has the right to reside in Sweden is entitled to sign up for SFI. However, many official SFI websites incorrectly state a personal number is always required, something that many of The Local’s readers had been told too. When we put this to the test in our personal number investigation in 2018, we received different answers from different municipalities about the requirements for SFI, so more clarity is evidently needed.

Other respondents suggested that added flexibility, such as introducing online or distance courses, would lead to an increased uptake and would make the classes more accessible to groups such as new parents or people on irregular work schedules.

“Improve SFI, or create classes for parents in the schools that their kids go to. This would solve problems like time management and help local people get to know each other,” said Evangelia Gogou. “Improve the online platforms too.”

And for some foreign citizens, the main difficulty in learning Swedish is a cultural question rather than just a practical one.

In answer to the question of how Sweden could best encourage newcomers to learn the language, Andrew Pell responded: “More interest on the part of members of the community in mixing with new residents.”

Embrace English?

But others argued that Sweden should accept that not all foreigners need to learn the native language, and said the country should instead work on the status of English as a second language.

“I think English should be accepted as a formal second language (which it already is in practice),” said Mark Smit, who speaks five languages.

“Sweden is a modern country and I think it should slowly move further in the direction of accepting English as an education and business language. English already is the world language, already is used by banks and government services like Skatteverket. Learning English is more useful for people’s futures and freedoms than learning Swedish.”

This view was shared by Suzanne Samuels, who pointed out: “Nearly 90 percent of the population speaks English, many university courses are taught in English, and companies need to work in English to attract international talent and compete on the world stage. So why not make English a second official language here?”

And another international resident, Mia Nguyen, shared her perspective from her experiences living in Asia: “In Vietnam, English is now being invested at the governmental level to become a bilateral official language. Vietnamese children at the age of one or two years old are nowadays already learning English. And in Singapore, English has become an official language although most of Singaporean citizens are non-native English speakers. But it seems Sweden is going the opposite way; a conservative and backward trend.”

Overall, most of the respondents cautioned against a one-size-fits-all policy when it comes to citizenship requirements. Several readers said that if changes were made to how citizenship is granted, it would be best to weigh different factors on a case-by-case basis, taking into account whether the individual had personal relationships or a job in Sweden.

“Is it good if everybody living in Sweden can speak and understand Swedish to some degree? Yes. But there is a huge number of aspects to a person’s contribution to a country – financially, socially, culturally – of which language is only one. Using language skills as the main yardstick for an immigrant’s societal contribution has no real positive effect, and risks ignoring everything else people from abroad bring to life in Sweden,” said Jack Barrington.

Radio Sweden. (2019a, January 25). Government to push tests for new citizens. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/7141932

Government to push tests for new citizens

One of the reforms the new government is promising to bring in is a tightening of the law around citizenship. A language and knowledge test (see page 8) could be brought in for people who want to get a Swedish passport.

This is something the Liberal Party has been pushing for 16 years. Now the Social Democrat-Green government will launch an enquiry into making this change – in order to get the Liberal Party’s support in budget votes.

Liberal member of parliament, Gulan Avci, told Radio Sweden that the language test reform would help individuals have more independence, so they don’t have to rely on others to help them navigate in society. She also believes it would lead more people to be able to get jobs, and therefore, be financially independent.

But SFI students Alison Barnes, Mohamad Reza, and Badr, whom Radio Sweden interviewed, had mixed feelings about the idea of making Swedish citizenship contingent on passing an exam.

Transcript of audio recording:

[…]

Gulan Avci: “A language test is a reform that wants to achieve more freedom for the individuals and especially for women. Many women are isolated and very dependent on their husbands today in Sweden. And a lot of these women do not speak Swedish. And the language test in combination with raising the quality of language education will give more women the freedom to act independently in society and to become eligible for achieving a job.”

[…]

SFI students seem to have mixed feelings about the idea of making Swedish citizenship contingent on passing an exam.

[…]

SFI student: ‘Laws are nor flexible enough for real life. Some people because of work don’t have time to learn a language well enough or if they are an older person who doesn’t have the flexibility of the brain to learn the language very well. And there are some other things that laws don’t take into account.’

[…]

The idea of ‘deserving’

SFI student: ‘Having a test to have citizenship is like you have to prove that you deserve to be Swedish. It’s like you have to pass a test and after that if you do good you deserve to be Swedish. I don’t like that idea. Because it’s like an ultimatum that you put to people. You have to be good to deserve that. But you can be good in many other ways. You can bring to Sweden many ideas, and you don’t have to pass a test to deserve to be Swedish.’

Radio Sweden. (2019b, January 24). Radio Sweden Weekly: Sweden finally has a government. What’s the first day like in Parliament afterwards? Views on citizenship language test. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/1221528

Radio Sweden Weekly: Sweden finally has a government. What’s the first day like in Parliament afterwards? Views on citizenship language test

Hear about one of the policies the government will be pushing for now: a language test and basic civics test for people to become a Swedish citizen.

Producer / presenter: Brett Ascarelli

Transcript of audio recording:

13:50

Instituting a language and basic civics test in order to become a Swedish citizen is one of the things the Liberal Party had as a policy for 16 years and they didn’t manage to get through when they were in Government.

According to the Liberal member of Parliament, essentially what this is about is making sure that people who become citizens are aware of their duties and there rights so that people don’t get left behind and also it raises the value of Swedish citizenship.

Semko Gonzalez, R. (2019, January 17). Lost in Translation: Required Language Tests for Citizenship Perpetuate Barriers, Not Integration. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://medium.com/@renee.s.gonzalez/lost-in-translation-required-language-tests-for-citizenship-perpetuate-barriers-not-integration-2b27f54bba05

Lost in Translation: Required Language Tests for Citizenship Perpetuate Barriers, Not Integration.

Last weekend my friend John, who is Swedish but married to an American, joked that neither of the countries his wife held citizenship in had a functioning government at the moment. What were the chances? We had a laugh and went on our merry way.

He was referring, of course, to the government shutdown in the U.S. and the four-month-long deadlock Sweden has faced in trying to solidify a government following the September election. While things in the U.S. are still up in the air, Sweden seems to have weathered the government-less storm via an agreement between the centre-left parties (Social Democrats and Green Party) and their opposing centre-liberal parties (Centre and Liberal Parties).

Now, I am not about to attempt to explain Swedish politics. However, following the U.S. election, I’ve tried to be more aware of the political environments surrounding and, consequently, affecting me. Considering I’ve lived in Sweden for 3,5 years and recently purchased an apartment here in Malmö, I think it is safe to say I’ll be here for the foreseeable future.

The longevity of my stay in Sweden translates to two important things. The first is that I will likely be here long enough to be eligible for citizenship. The second is that the longer I stay here, the more relevant things like attaining a basic understanding of Swedish politics become.

Whether I want to become a Swedish citizen or not is something I’ve honestly not given much thought to — frankly, I don’t care if it happens or not. I am, however, extremely concerned with the step prior to citizenship, which is becoming a permanent resident. In the 3,5 years I’ve lived here, I’ve had two residence permit renewals that have taken half a year to process each. That’s an entire year in which I have, quite literally, been stuck in Sweden.

Now, the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) makes it very clear when processing your residence permit that you are perfectly free to leave Sweden. Getting let back into the country, however, is not guaranteed. The result is frustrated immigrants like myself feeling physically trapped by a country who refuses to take responsibility for holding us captive.

After five excruciating years of not seeing your family for prolonged periods of time or missing job opportunities across the border in neighboring cities like Copenhagen or Oslo, us immigrants are finally rewarded with permanent residence for our self-imposed captivity (Remember, Migrationsverket and Gränskontroll are NOT responsible. You can leave any time you like. We just won’t let you back in). I guess it’s good that I’m more than halfway through my 5 sentence…

Just kidding. Factor in some absurd clause about study residence permits not counting, and I’m at a meager Year 1 of 5-year journey to permanent residence. Needless to say, if I were ever to become a Swedish citizen, it’s going to be quite a while from now. Definitely more than five years. While I don’t think citizenship should be handed out all willy nilly, I don’t think unrealistic barriers like keeping people from leaving the country should necessarily put in place either.

Said unrealistic barriers is what brings me back to the recent formation of a government in Sweden. While there are plenty of detailed explanations on how this government came to be formed (see: literally any Swedish news outlet), the shorthand version is this: The current Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven will continue to be Prime Minister in exchange for a bevy of concessions to his more conservative opponents in a move that is best described as “spineless.”

Why is Stefan Löfven pissing me off enough to write a Medium article about Swedish politics even though I’m American and know very little about it? Well for starters, I voted for his party. All civilians with Swedish social security numbers are allowed to vote in local and regional elections regardless of whether they are citizens or not. While my ineligibility to vote in federal elections means I did not actually vote for Löfven per se, I did cast support for the party he represents.

The reason I voted for Social Democrats is that they were against installing a required language test for citizenship. In fact, my whole motivation for voting at all in the Swedish election last September was because of these proposed languages tests. Although I realize my local & regional votes do not directly influence federal legislation, something’s better than nothing, right?

Anyways, part of Löfven’s many concessions proposed last week in a bid to keep power was the introduction of language and civics tests in order to be eligible for citizenship. Whether or not these tests ever come to fruition is beside the point. They’re senseless and overtly xenophobic.

Sweden has some of the highest levels of English-proficient speakers in the world. English fluency in educational and cultural curricula is something Sweden’s made its own prerogative. No one ever told Sweden it needed to create a nation of fully functional English speakers. An unforeseen consequence of such high English proficiency is a nation of native Swedish speakers who are generally unreceptive toward engaging with non-native Swedish speakers. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard “It’s just easier to take this in English” from Swedes who cannot be bothered to navigate their mother tongue if it falls short of perfect execution — something you won’t get from non-native speakers, especially those who are in earlier stages of learning. Even my own boyfriend is tough to engage with because hearing me speak Swedish makes him feel “awkward.”

If you can’t learn or practice Swedish with native speakers, what is the point? On one hand, I do see the value of learning the language for yourself, in certain aspects. I’ve never taken formal classes but I spend a lot of time with my boyfriend’s mother, who is from Poland originally and speaks Polish and Swedish. Since English isn’t an option for us, I’ve picked up enough Swedish to make light conversation with her. The Swedish I’ve learned has admittedly improved my life TREMENDOUSLY. Being able to piece together smaller day-to-day tasks by myself makes my life more efficient, less stressful, and gives me something I severely lack as an immigrant in Sweden: a sense of independence. From that perspective, I could see why Sweden/Swedes would want immigrants to learn Swedish.

But required language tests are not about easing the lives of immigrants. Required language tests are about maintaining unrealistic barriers between native speakers and non-native speakers. And by endorsing such barriers, Löfven and his concessions are only perpetuating xenophobia further in Sweden.

Löfgren, E. (2018, September 7). Election Q&A: Do you want Swedish tests for would-be citizens? Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.thelocal.se/20180907/election-qa-do-you-want-swedish-tests-for-would-be-citizens-sfi

Election Q&A: Do you want Swedish tests for would-be citizens?

We asked the parties how they want to improve SFI teaching, and if it should be compulsory to learn Swedish.

The Local asked Sweden’s eight parties to answer a number of questions relevant to internationals living and working in Sweden.

We asked the parties in the Swedish parliament: Does your party want Swedish tests for new citizens and how do you plan to improve the standard of Swedish For Immigrants (SFI) education across the country?

The Social Democrat Party

“We want more SFI teaching hours and more individualized teaching, so that students who learn faster get better support. It should be possible to a greater extent to combine SFI with work and internships. We have ordered a large state-run inquiry, which is to propose ways of improving SFI by February 2019. The Social Democrats do not propose to introduce a Swedish test as a citizenship requirement.”

The Moderate Party

“The Swedish language is the key to Swedish society – to work, social mobility and understanding of our institutions. The Moderates want to introduce requirements for basic language skills in order to obtain permanent residency and citizenship. SFI education needs to be strengthened and a new arrival should meet individual learning targets in order to receive various benefits, for example the introduction benefit (etableringsersättning) that many new arrivals receive during their first two years in Sweden.”

The Sweden Democrat Party

“Yes, as far as the Sweden Democrats are concerned it is a matter of course that good knowledge of the Swedish language should be a prerequisite to obtain citizenship. The need for SFI has increased exponentially due to the migration crisis, and this has often meant that the level of quality could not be maintained. A strict migration policy will improve the conditions for providing a quality service for those who have the right to be in Sweden. It is also important that SFI is adapted to the ability of the individual. Skilled labour immigrants often have different needs to an asylum seeker who never sat on a school bench. At the same time, higher demands for results must also be placed on the latter group.”

The Green Party

“No. Learning to speak Swedish is an important aspect of becoming part of Swedish society but the Green Party does not want to reduce citizenship to a matter of language skills.

During our time in government we’ve individualized the study plans for SFI and extended the possibility of studying work related Swedish. To further improve the standard of SFI we’ve instituted an inquiry to, among other things, see how SFI better could be combined with other studies. Students of SFI should also be grouped with students of similar educational backgrounds so that they can advance their learning at a pace suitable to their educational level and ease of learning.”

The Centre Party

“The quality of Swedish for foreigners (SFI) is insufficient. A large part of those who take SFI classes don’t learn Swedish and the teaching is often poorly adapted and of varying quality. At the same time, some private and non-profit educational organizers have proven successful in teaching Swedish. But today, those taking part in SFI programmes don’t have the option of choosing other courses than those offered by the municipalities, or that the municipalities have procured. By opening up competition between new educational providers, the quality of SFI can be improved.”

“We propose the introduction of a results-based ‘SFI check’ (SFI-peng). Everyone who meets certain criteria will be given the opportunity to offer SFI classes. Those who want to learn Swedish are then given the opportunity to choose where they want to study, and the provider gets paid based on the results.”

The Left Party

“The Left Party is against introducing language tests for citizenship. We want to improve the quality of SFI by making SFI teachers more equipped to do a good job. That’s why we want to develop new SFI teacher training. We also want to develop a new form of education to meet the need for SFI teachers, while working against the profit interest in SFI that means that resources go to corporate profits rather than to the service.”

The Liberal Party 

“Yes, we want to introduce a language test for Swedish citizenship. SFI enrolment needs to increase, but it is not enough to simply attend and sit out the time in the classroom. There is a need for increased focus on results. We therefore want to introduce a control station after 52 weeks of SFI studies. If you have only achieved limited results, you should instead get into work or an internship. It is much better to be in a context where you practise your Swedish on a daily basis instead of sitting in the classroom without results.”

The Christian Democrat Party 

“No, the Christian Democrats have not proposed that you need to take a language test to become a citizen. It is important that SFI classes are adapted to the person taking them. A person who has a lot of schooling behind them should be able to advance faster than a person who lacks the experience of studying, or even the ability to read and write. We want to work for a range of SFI providers throughout the country so that there are alternatives locally and so that people are not restricted to one single actor within a monopoly.”

The Local. (2018, April 24). Study Swedish or lose welfare, Swedish Democrats propose. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.thelocal.se/20180424/study-swedish-or-lose-welfare-swedish-social-democrats-propose

Study Swedish or lose welfare, Swedish Social Democrats propose

Sweden’s governing Social Democrats want to make it obligatory for immigrants to study Swedish in order to claim welfare.

If reelected in the forthcoming general election, the Social Democrats say they will bring in a ‘language obligation’ which would mean both people in the asylum process and those who need to improve their Swedish in order to get a job would have to attend Swedish courses “otherwise their welfare support will be denied”. The obligation would be attendance-based rather than based on a language test.

“Our focus today is language, language, language. I don’t think you can overstate the importance of speaking sufficiently good Swedish – you don’t need to speak perfect Swedish – but sufficiently good Swedish for entering Swedish society and entering the labour market,” employment and integration minister Ylva Johansson said at a press conference where the language proposals were presented alongside finance minister Magdalena Andersson.

“Many people already do so today, but we want to make it obligatory to take part in language learning,” Johansson added.

Along with obligatory attendance at classes, a second proposal is directed towards parents on parental leave, and could see parental compensation rules revised so that those on leave do not need to postpone their Swedish studies in order to claim the benefits.

At present the benefit is only paid out for the time that a parent is physically with his or her child, meaning any parent studying Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) does not receive financial support for the hours they spend in class, and classes are often dropped as a result.

Changing that rule would help new immigrants and in particular immigrant women enter the labour market more efficiently, the Social Democrats say. Research has previously shown that the parental support situation is one reason why immigrant women take prolonged breaks from their SFI courses and therefore longer to learn the language than immigrant men.

A third branch of the proposal meanwhile is to develop specific language training for immigrants employed in the welfare state, a sector which finance minister Andersson said is likely to recruit more foreigners in the future due to labour shortages.

The Social Democrats have been taking a more hard-line approach to immigrants in the build up to this year’s election. Last week they vowed to tighten labour immigration rules if they are reelected, which would mean stopping businesses from employing people not already living in Sweden for positions where there is not a labour shortage.

Asked by The Local if the Social Democrats are now singling out people who came to Sweden to work through legal means as a problem, Johansson insisted it is “not the people who are the problem, it’s the employers who exploit vulnerable situations that are the problem”.

Roden, L. (2018, May 28). ‘It’s so unfair to these students’: Swedish for Immigrants teacher quits in protest over poor standards. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.thelocal.se/20180528/its-so-unfair-to-these-students-swedish-for-immigrants-teacher-quits-in-protest-over-poor-standards

‘It’s so unfair to these students’: Swedish for Immigrants teacher quits in protest over poor standards

A Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) teacher who quit her job in protest against poor standards told The Local she is sick of Swedish politicians blaming newcomers instead of addressing the low quality of language education they are given.

In an opinion piece published by Dagens Nyheter last week, Camilla Nilsson Wallin explained she had quit her Stockholm SFI teaching job after almost seven years working in the profession because of problems such as over-crowded classes, insufficient time to plan lessons and generally poor running of the courses by organizers, leaving her feeling like she was unable to provide the standard of education students had the right to.

Complaints to superiors were not taken seriously and the overall feeling she came away with was that the organizers were only interested in making financial gains and not improving the quality of teaching, she argued.

“I felt my criticisms to the head of the school were not being heard. A colleague and I wrote a letter containing a number of questions, which in general were saying that we want to work in a professional environment. Almost all teachers signed it. The answers we got were ‘it’s just like that’ or ‘it’ll get better’. I felt like I couldn’t have any influence on the students getting the education they needed and have the right to,” Nilsson Wallin told The Local.

“It’s so unfair to these students, as the education laws state clearly that teaching should be equal and adapted to every student’s conditions, need and knowledge. It’s sad that the private organizers of SFI escape that.”

In her opinion piece the language instructor also complained that operators using a large amount of unqualified teachers meant additional strain on teachers with qualifications, who were being asked to pick up tasks the others were not capable of.

Sweden’s free-at-the-point-of-service SFI classes are funded by municipalities but many of them have outsourced the operation of the courses to private companies. The municipalities retain the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the education complies with laws and standards however.

In a statement sent to The Local, the City of Stockholm (Stockholm municipality) said it regularly tries to improve the standards of SFI in the city.

“Our duty is to Stockholmers and not least the many newcomers who are studying SFI. We constantly develop our schools in the city and also constantly develop our following-up with contracted operators. The most important thing for the city is that Stockholmers receive a good education with competent and qualified teachers, and good opportunities for further study or work,” Arja Lindholm, spokesperson for the City of Stockholm labour administration, wrote.

Nilsson Wallin explained to The Local that in her time teaching SFI she had never encountered a student who did not want to learn Swedish, but rather, had encountered students who did not have the conditions in place to learn Swedish properly. The teacher criticized Swedish politicians for trying to single out foreigners as unwilling to learn the local language, referring for example to a recent Social Democrat promise to make it obligatory for immigrants to learn Swedish in order to claim benefits.

“I wish that politicians, the private operators of SFI and municipalities hiring private operators could see SFI as the investment it is. These people want to contribute to society. Their language learning is a long-term investment in society. Instead of politicians using public discontent at election time in order to boost their political positions – blaming newcomers and asylum seekers – it would be better if they could do something about the quality of education instead,” she insisted.

“The real problem is the form of teaching – and that the prerequisites for carrying out good teaching should be provided so the process goes faster. Not that newcomers and asylum seekers are lazy and just looking for benefits.”

The Local. (2017a, June 5). Opinion: Why it’s time for Sweden to fully accept English in the workplace. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.thelocal.se/20170605/opinion-why-its-time-for-sweden-to-fully-accept-english-in-the-workplace

Opinion: Why it’s time for Sweden to fully accept English in the workplace

Swedish organizations can no longer afford to place English-speaking candidates outside the recruitment process, argues Hays Sweden managing director Johan Alsén.

One of the biggest challenges for Sweden right now is the competence gap in the labour market. It is quite clear that a shortage of certain skills slows down economic development. This requires a new way of thinking from employers, one example of which regards the corporate language.

Swedish organizations can no longer afford to place English-speaking candidates outside the recruitment process. Many companies within the IT industry for example have changed their corporate language to English – and more industries will likely follow. This transformation is necessary to be able to utilize international expertise and specialists who are not fluent in Swedish.

Unfortunately, the trend has been somewhat slowed by a conservative public sector.  In the public sector, all documentation and agreements are generally in Swedish and therefore the demand of Swedish skills, both written and spoken, are prioritized.

With the high level of English competency among Swedes and the increasing contact with the working-world outside Sweden, the latter demand in the public sector should be challenged.  Together with the Dutch and Danes, the Swedes are the most competent in English as a second language (according to a survey carried out by EF Education 2016). It is time for authorities and public enterprises to rethink excluding those with an ability to communicate in English.

As The Local Sweden reported, the 2016 Hays Global Skills Index shows that Sweden is the country with the highest labour market stress levels in the world (compared to 33 skills-based economies).

Sweden’s high score of 7.9 (of 10) in the ‘talent mismatch’ category shows how hard it can be for employers to find the right people for certain jobs. This means the market might be one of the toughest places for a company to develop and grow, even though the Swedish economy is doing quite well right now.

There are signs of doors already opening for job seekers with a mother tongue other than Swedish. English is the first language being embraced by Swedish companies. Even if many Swedish employers still require perfect Swedish from their employees, we have noticed a clear trend in the recruiting demands the last couple of years. The economic boom and the increasing skills shortage have paved the way for a change towards accepting English in the workplace.

It is also time for Swedish employers at large to broaden their recruiting base. They need to find new ways to integrate English into their daily work. It is today possible to utilize existing technology for translation and even producing texts. To facilitate the process, a possibility could also be to appoint dedicated language coordinators at the workplace.

It is in the nation’s interest to fill the growing competence gap to protect Sweden’s competitive edge. Surely one of the most obvious solutions to the problem would be to include the English-speaking community.

Johan Alsén, Managing Director Sweden, Hays.

The Local. (2017b, September 7). Swedish conservatives propose stricter rules for citizenship. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.thelocal.se/20170907/swedish-conservatives-propose-stricter-rules-for-citizenship

Swedish conservatives propose stricter rules for citizenship

Sweden’s main opposition party, the Moderates, want to tighten the rules for people seeking Swedish citizenship, suggesting a string of new measures they say will encourage integration and better correspond to the rules of other Nordic countries and Germany.

In an opinion piece published in daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter on Thursday, Moderate party members Tomas Tobé and Gunnar Strömmer said that the rules to become Swedish aren’t strict enough, and in some cases even hamper the integration of the country’s new citizens.

“Sweden should be an open country (…) But at the same time we have to make demands: Everyone is expected to contribute to their best efforts,” they wrote.

The authors said that today, Sweden differs from its Nordic neighbours in the sense that those applying for a Swedish passport only need to have lived in the country for a total of five years (three years if you’ve lived with a Swedish partner for at least two years).

There are also no demands on an applicant to speak the Swedish language or have any civic knowledge and there are no legal measures to strip a person of his or her citizenship in terror-related cases.

“First of all, the citizenship must be valued higher than what it is today. Secondly, the rules concerning citizenship must be formed so that they encourage integration. And thirdly, our rules should to a large extent correspond to those in similarly comparable countries like the Nordic countries and Germany.”

Tobé and Strömmer then listed six new measures they feel should apply before a person can become a Swede.

The first measure concerns higher demands on a person’s Swedish language skills, which they said “is of great importance for integration”. The skills should be proved through language tests or the ability to show valid university grades, they propose.

They also want to impose requirements on a person’s ability to make a living, suggesting for example that a person can no longer rely on any kind of financial aid as their main source of income.

Thirdly, they suggest extending the time-period before a person to become a Swedish citizen from five years to seven years, in order for Sweden to “better harmonize with corresponding rules in other comparable countries”.

In addition, they said a so-called “integration bonus” should be offered to those who can show a good level of integration efforts by for example speaking good Swedish and making an income. The bonus would entail shaving three years off of the proposed seven to become Swedish.

In their fifth point, the authors said that the ability to strip an individual of their Swedish citizenship should be imposed if the person commits serious crimes, like terror crimes.

Finally, they said that the rules of keeping one’s passport safe need to be tightened to curb the amount of stolen or lost passports. Last year, more than 60,000 passports were reported lost or stolen. “We want tougher penalties than what we have today for when a passport is misused to gain entry and the expiry date for a new passport should be shortened if a person has previously reported their passport lost or stolen.”

The centre-left government last year changed the rules so that a Swedish citizen can only be granted three new passports to replace a lost or stolen document over a five-year-period, to combat forged passports.

The Local. (2017c, December 15). Swedish opposition leader: ‘In Sweden, we speak Swedish’. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.thelocal.se/20171215/swedish-opposition-leader-in-sweden-we-speak-swedish

Swedish opposition leader: ‘In Sweden, we speak Swedish’

In Sweden, people should speak Swedish, said the leader of Sweden’s opposition party in his Christmas speech on Friday.

Ulf Kristersson, who leads the Moderates party, spoke about integration at some length in the speech, highlighting three key points which he said could “solve Sweden’s problem”.

These were: In Sweden people work, in Sweden people speak Swedish, and in Sweden Swedish laws apply.

“Perfect Swedish is snobbishly overrated, but fully comprehensible Swedish is deeply underestimated. If you don’t speak the Swedish language, you’ll find it really hard to enter Swedish society,” said Kristersson.

He also pointed out that new arrivals have a responsibility to make an effort to integrate.

“That’s why you shouldn’t be able to live on subsidies year after year without doing your utmost to learn Swedish so you can get a job,” he said.

“It takes nine years before even half of new arrivals have any kind of job. There are primary schools where the majority don’t make it into high school. Gang crime is spreading: 279 shootings already this year, 124 injured and 38 dead,” Kristersson continued, highlighting some of the issues linked to social segregation.

Sweden offers free language lessons to all new arrivals under the SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) programme, but many English-speaking foreigners find it easy to live in the country without the language, especially in bigger cities. Swedes are frequently ranked among the best non-native English speakers worldwide and people in for example Sweden’s growing tech sector are likely to find themselves in an English-speaking workplace, as several startups have told The Local.

Kristersson’s speech also touched on the #MeToo movement to highlight sexual harassment, and the enormous response it has had in Sweden. Kristersson said he was “appalled but not surprised” by the allegations which were brought to light and have sent shockwaves through a country frequently lauded as one of the world’s most gender-equal.

The Moderates will present their planned measures to tackle sexual harassment, the party leader said, adding that he had spoken about the #MeToo campaign with his three teenage daughters and encouraging other parents to speak to their children about it.

And he spoke about anti-Semitism in light of the recent attacks against Jews in Sweden. Kristersson said that it was important to condemn all hate crimes equally strongly, whether committed by “native Nazis” or “immigrants from the Middle East”.

“I’m disheartened that so many find it easy to condemn the one, but so hard to use plain language about the other,” he said.

Roden, L. (2017, November 17). Things you can (and cannot) do without a Swedish personal number. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.thelocal.se/20171117/things-you-can-and-cannot-do-without-a-swedish-personal-number

Things you can (and cannot) do without a Swedish personal number

If there’s such a thing as a key to Sweden, it may just be the personal number (personnummer). Used for everything from joining loyalty schemes to bank accounts, the common wisdom is that it’s virtually impossible to get by in the Scandinavian country without the sacred 10-digit code.

But is that really true? Would a newcomer to the country without one be left stranded?

The Local put the theory to the test in six different areas. We made hours of calls in which we pretended to be a newcomer to Sweden without a personal number, and asked to sign up for services. Here’s what we found.

[…]

Swedish for Immigrants (SFI)

Signing up for state-funded Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) classes tends to be one of the first things internationals want to do when they move. Anyone who has the right to reside in Sweden (for example EU citizens) is entitled to sign up with or without a personal number, according to the law. However, even many official SFI websites state a personal number is always required, so we decided to put it to the test.

We first contacted the department responsible for SFI at the City of Stockholm. They told us that to study the language courses in the capital you must have a Swedish personal number “unless you come from a country that is a member of the EU”.

If you’re from the EU and don’t have a personal number, you can still study SFI there, provided you meet the same criteria that apply to those who do have one of the numbers (including being registered as living in Stockholm municipality, and not already having a level of Swedish better than the standard taught in the classes).

That’s international hub Stockholm, but would schools in smaller Swedish towns also be aware that EU citizens without a personal number are supposed to be able to study SFI? A member of staff at a school in eastern city Gävle noted that “usually you do need a Swedish personal number, but it is also possible as well if you are a citizen from an EU country”.

Just to be safe, we also asked a Komvux adult education school at the other end of the country in southern city Malmö, and got the same answer:

“You have the right to study SFI if you have a personal number and are living in Malmö municipality. EU citizens with the right of residence also have the right to study SFI. So yes, if you’re an EU citizen you can apply for SFI.”

Finally, we also checked the situation in Skellefteå, northern Sweden, where a reader got in touch to say he had been informed by the head of a school there that it was not possible to register for SFI despite him being an EU citizen and even having a temporary personal number.

The department responsible for SFI in Skellefteå municipality assured us however that is not the case, saying that as an EU citizen, we could start in a matter of weeks if the correct form was sent to them:

“Yes, you can study SFI in Skellefteå (as an EU citizen) without a personal number. Fill in the application and send it back to us, then you can start in about three weeks.”

A personal number isn’t necessary to sign up for an SFI course and start learning Swedish then, provided you’re an EU citizen. But it’s always worth double-checking.

Have you ever been denied SFI because you didn’t have a personal number? Let us know.

The Local. (2016, May 17). Report reveals gender gap in Swedish learning. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.thelocal.se/20160517/report-immigrant-women-take-longer-to-learn-swedish

Report reveals gender gap in Swedish learning

New research has shed light on how long it takes newcomers to Sweden to get to grips with the language, with women requiring significantly more time than men.

Dagens Nyheter analyzed data from all but four of Sweden’s 290 municipalities in 2015, and the results from the 3299-person sample suggest that it took an average of two years to complete the A course in the state-funded SFI (Swedish for immigrants) programme.

The A course is designed for those with little to no formal education, and while the average completion time for men was 1.4 years, for women, it increased to 2.5.

One explanation for the slow pace of learning is that many students opt to take breaks from the course rather than completing it in one sitting, according to SFI bosses.

“That’s a big problem. Taking breaks prolongs the study time because you lose a lot of the language when you’re away,” Malmö SFI area manager Anders Fredriksson told DN.

“It’s especially serious in bigger cities like Malmö, where many are segregated from a language point of view. By that I mean that the dominant the language isn’t Swedish,” he added.

The research suggests that taking breaks from the course was significantly more common for women than men, with seven percent of male students taking more than three years to finish the classes, compared to 20 percent among women.

That gender discrepancy may correlate to an imbalance between the number of women that opt to take state-funded parental leave compared to men, breaking down at 51 percent among females compared to 20 percent among males, per DN’s figures.

The Swedish state offers newcomers to the country the right to take up to 480 days’ subsidized parental leave per child, but parental benefit is only paid out for the time that a parent is physically with his or her child.

That means any parent who is studying SFI will not receive benefit for the hours they spend in classes. According to women interviewed in the study, that situation combined with poor childcare options was causing them to take prolonged breaks from their SFI courses.

Integrating foreign-born residents in the midst of the refugee crisis is proving to be a major challenge for Sweden, with number-crunching agency Statistics Sweden revealing in April that half of all jobless in the country were born abroad.

That followed a prediction from national employment agency Arbetsförmedlingen that by 2017, 60 percent of unemployed people in Sweden would have foreign backgrounds.

Radio Sweden. (2015, January 28). Liberals re-launch citizenship language test proposal. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/6078985

Liberals re-launch citizenship language test proposal

Sweden’s Liberal Party has dusted off its old demand that anyone who wants to become a Swedish citizen should first pass a Swedish language exam.

The proposal forms part of a series of plans, which the party says will ease integration for newly-arrived immigrants.

The language test was first proposed by the party ahead of the 2002 election.

Other proposals in the party’s new “integration package”, presented today, include a demand that any immigrant that wants to bring his or her family to Sweden first has to get a job and find somewhere permanent to live. However, children under the age of 18 will always be allowed to join their parents, the party says.

The party also recommends using temporary residence permits, which will be automatically turned into permanent residency if the immigrant gets a job, or if he or she is still in need of asylum after three years. The Liberal Party also wants to liberalise labour laws in Sweden and speed up the recognition of foreign degrees and training.

The package is to be discussed at a party conference in the Autumn.

Reaction from the Social Democrat-Green Party government has been swift and damning. Top Social Democrat Veronica Palm calls the plans “not just dark-brown, dog-whistle politics, but also ineffective and counterproductive if the aim is indeed better integration”.

The Green Party’s migration spokesman, Maria Ferm, is also critical: “It is incredibly sad that the Liberals propose temporary residence permits. It splits families, makes integration more difficult, and costs more.”

The Local. (2014, June 11). Swedes: Please let us speak Swedish with you. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.thelocal.se/20140611/dear-swedes-please-let-us-speak-swedish-with-you

Swedes: Please let us speak Swedish with you

The Local’s Oliver Gee wonders why Swedish people insist on replying to foreigners in English when we have tried to start a conversation in Swedish.

Dear Swedes,

Why do you always speak to us Swedish learners in English?

I know you’re very, very good at English, and I know my Swedish is far from perfect. But surely if I could only practise my Swedish a little then you wouldn’t need to be doing me any more language favours.

I remember when I was new to Sweden and I’d prepared all night for a shopping exchange. I had my eye on some red trousers and I was going to buy them – in Swedish – from a hipster hangout in Stockholm. My accent was questionable but my grammar was flawless.

I went in and said “Hello, I’d like to buy these trousers, please”.

“Splendid choice, young man,” the shopkeeper responded in English, twirling his moustache. “They’re a dashing pair indeed.”

The trousers were splendid, he was right, but why was he talking about them in English?

Upon more than three years’ reflection, I’ve decided on three reasons why Swedes answer foreigners in English.

1: Efficiency. Why mess around when you can get to the point?

2: You like speaking English and want to practise.

3: You’re showing off.

Whichever way, it’s no wonder so many many foreigners in Sweden never master Swedish, or never bother trying. You Swedes sometimes don’t give us a chance.

So what can we do when Swedes refuse to speak Swedish? Again, three things:

1: Be stubborn and respond in Swedish.

2: Chuckle inwardly, continue in English, and write an article about it one day.

3: If it’s someone you won’t see again, pretend you’re Polish and say you can’t speak English anyway*.

*If they can speak Polish you might be in trouble.

I decided to bring up the subject with Sweden’s etiquette queen Magdalena Ribbing, who has penned 15 books on manners and writes a regular column for the Dagens Nyheter newspaper. I asked her whether Swedes were in the wrong when they answered foreigners in English.

“If they do that then they’re being very rude indeed,” she responded without even a second’s thought.

“Swedes think they’re helping by showing off that they’ve done their homework, and what’s more, they want to seem a little cool and ‘urban’ by speaking English. And we absolutely don’t want to come across as being from the countryside,” she continued.

“But it’s not helpful. Much more so as we don’t speak half as good English as we think we do.”

The rules, she said, were simple.

“You should always use the language of the country you are in unless someone explicitly says they can’t. I don’t walk around London saying ursäkta,” she says. “And just the same, I shouldn’t be walking around Sweden assuming people are from an English-speaking country.”

Well fancy that, I have the etiquette queen on my side.

Now what’s your excuse?

Tack

Oliver Gee

Radio Sweden. (2009, August 4). Debate over Language Tests. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=3010564

Debate over Language Tests

A new proposal regarding points tests for citizenship has rocked the boat in the UK in the last few days. In Sweden, the Liberal party has long been advocating a language test as part of the Swedish citizenship requirement. But many critical voices are claiming that this is simply a step towards more restrictive immigration policies.

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