Sweden’s parliament has passed a law enabling the deportation of delinquent immigrants for offences ranging from membership of extremist groups to unpaid debts.
The controversial legislation, widely referred to as the “snitch law”, will compel public servants to inform the police of undocumented immigrants they encounter.
The law does not specify what type of behaviour is deemed unacceptable but the Swedish government has mentioned unpaid debts, not paying taxes, criminality and links to extremist organisations.
Critics have said it means decisions on immigration status would be taken on behaviour that has not been deemed criminal.
The legislation is part of a wider tightening of immigration rules by the right-wing government and its coalition partner, the populist anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, before September's general election.
The Migration Agency is responsible for reviewing the permits and the decisions can be appealed to a migration court.
“This is the latest measure in a long list of extremely problematic regulations on migration,” Jacob Lind, a migration expert from Malmo University, said after the vote.
“It has a symbolic meaning because it amounts to snitching by some very important state agencies.”
Stockholm-based group Civil Rights Defenders said the new legislation “undermines the rule of law and the principle of equality before the law”.
“The good behaviour law leaves people in uncertainty about what actions or expressions can be used against them,” said the organisation.
But Johan Forssell, Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy, said when he proposed the bill in March that “anyone who doesn't make the effort to do the right thing shouldn't be able to count on staying.”
The new law requires employees of public bodies such as of tax authorities, employment service, pensions agency and social insurance agency, to tell police if they suspect individuals they have been in contact with are not in Sweden legally. Teachers, doctors and social workers have been exempted from the obligation after widespread criticism.
The government has argued that it needs more measures to ensure those who are not legally allowed to stay in the country can be returned to their home countries. It has been estimated that between 30,000 and 50,000 undocumented migrants reside in Sweden.
The rise of the Sweden Democrats has been fuelled by a backlash against immigration, much of which has been linked to the rise of gangland violence.
The country now has one of the highest homicide rates in Europe and many of the criminals involved are from migrant backgrounds.
This year, researchers from three Swedish universities interviewed public servants about the ethical concerns the new law will bring to their work and the scenarios that could result.
In one example, if a mother who has no legal right to stay in Sweden gives birth, the midwife does not have to report her to police. But information about the baby will reach the tax authority, which will be obliged to report the family.
Germany adopted legislation in 2025 asking public authorities to report migrants without valid residency status, perhaps leading to their deportation. The law only applies to some public institutions such as welfare offices, while schools and hospitals are exempt.
Several institutions offer healthcare specifically for migrants without valid residency status, usually in large cities like Berlin.
In 2018, the UK revised a policy that had permitted immigration officials to obtain patient information from the National Health Service, following concerns was deterring migrants from seeking medical treatment.
