MALMÖ — A Swedish Migration Court has ruled that the country’s new, stricter citizenship requirements can apply to applications that were submitted before the rules changed in June 2026.

One of the biggest changes was the standard residence requirement, which increased from 5 years to 8 years.

If you applied before the change, you might therefore have assumed that the 5-year requirement would be used to assess your application.

But what happens when you apply under the old rules and your application is still waiting for a decision when the rules change?

That is the question behind a recent court case.

the case

A person who had lived in Sweden since 2019 applied for Swedish citizenship in June 2025.

At that point, the residence requirement was 5 years, so he met that part of the requirements.

His application was still being processed when the new citizenship rules came into force.

Migrationsverket then rejected the application because he did not meet the new eight-year residence requirement.

The applicant appealed the decision.

what the court said

The Migration Court in Malmö agreed with Migrationsverket.

The court found that the new requirements could be applied even though the citizenship application had been submitted before the rules changed.

One important reason was that the new legislation did not contain transitional provisions saying that applications already submitted should continue to be assessed under the old rules.

In other words, applying before the change does not automatically mean that your application will be decided under the rules that existed on the day you applied.

what it means if you're waiting on a decision

This is probably the most important part.

If you submitted a citizenship application before June 2026 and are still waiting for a decision, you may now be assessed against the new requirements.

For some people, that could make a significant difference.

For example, someone who had lived in Sweden for 5 years when they applied might have met the old residence requirement but not the new 8-year requirement.

But this ruling does not mean that every pending application will automatically be rejected.

Citizenship applications involve several requirements, and there can also be exemptions from the standard residence requirement depending on your circumstances.

why the application date matters less than you think

It is natural to look at the date you submitted your application and think “those were the rules when I applied.”

The court's decision shows that this is not necessarily how it works.

For citizenship applications, what matters can also be which rules are in force when the application is assessed and whether the new legislation contains rules about existing applications.

That can be frustrating if you have already been waiting for a decision, but it is an important distinction to understand.

is this final?

Not necessarily.

The ruling concerns a specific case and could be appealed. The legal position could therefore change again.

So, if you have a pending citizenship application, this ruling is important — but it is not a reason to assume that you already know the outcome of your own application.

what you should do

If you applied for citizenship before the new rules came into force, check how the new requirements affect your particular situation.

It may be useful to look at:

• how your time living in Sweden is counted
• whether you meet the new residence requirement
• whether an exemption could apply to you
• whether you meet the other citizenship requirements
• whether Migrationsverket has asked you for additional information

If Migrationsverket has already rejected your application, check the decision carefully. It should explain why your application was rejected and whether you have the right to appeal.

For complicated cases, consider getting advice from our qualified immigration adviser.