Sweden's government is scrambling to fix a legal gap that forces the deportation of teenagers whose parents can legally stay in the country. The Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) may now postpone deportation decisions while politicians hash out new legislation with the Sweden Democrats. Source: How is it possible that children who have grown up in Sweden can be expelled?.
The issue affects young people who lose their automatic right to stay when they turn 18, even if their parents have valid residence permits. These teenagers must apply for their own permits but often fail to meet the requirements, creating what officials call a "pipeline" of deportation cases.
Migration agency caught in political limbo
Migrationsverket admits it cannot even count how many teenagers face this situation. "We maybe have a hundred or possibly a few more cases in the pipeline regarding young adults," a spokesperson told Göteborgs-Posten. The agency says the numbers are actually lower now than in previous years.
This uncertainty shows broader confusion in Swedish immigration policy. According to Arbetsvarlden, changes to the Aliens Act in July 2021 led Migrationsverket to apply new interpretations that weren't even part of that legislation. The agency now finds itself implementing policies while politicians debate what those policies should actually be.
The Sweden Democrats, who hold notable sway over immigration policy, are negotiating directly with the government on this issue. This puts deportation decisions in political hands rather than leaving them to courts or administrative agencies.
Families split by bureaucratic gaps
The proposed solution focuses on teenagers living with parents in "special dependency relationships," but nobody has defined what that means. An investigation last fall suggested this approach, but the vague language creates more problems than it solves.
Save the Children has documented how Swedish migration policy conflicts with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The organization argues that splitting families based on arbitrary age cutoffs violates international standards Sweden has committed to follow.
These cases reveal how Sweden's immigration system struggles with edge cases that don't fit neat categories. A teenager who arrived at 16 with refugee parents might speak fluent Swedish, attend gymnasium, and consider Sweden home, but still face deportation to a country they barely remember.
The government's willingness to pause deportations suggests it recognizes the current system is broken. But the involvement of the Sweden Democrats, who generally favor stricter immigration policies, means any solution will likely include new restrictions elsewhere.
Expect the final legislation to create narrow exceptions for some teenagers while tightening rules for family reunification overall. The Sweden Democrats rarely agree to soften immigration policy without extracting concessions elsewhere.
Read more: Sweden Introduces Five-Year Welfare Wait for New Immigrants.
Read more: Swedish Opposition Unites to Block Teen Deportations.