New review of the Swedish Migration Agency’s processing times

Summary of the decision: The Parliamentary Ombudsman has reviewed the Swedish Migration Agency’s processing times. The review looked at processing times in general for four types of case (citizenship and residence permits based on connections to someone in Sweden, higher education or work), as well as five individual complaints.

The cases that have previously caused the Swedish Migration Agency major problems are those related to citizenship and residence permits based on connections to someone in Sweden. The Parliamentary Ombudsman notes that the backlog of cases remains very high. In the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s opinion, the situation is completely unacceptable.

Previous reviews by the Parliamentary Ombudsmen have not included residence permits for higher education and labour-market cases. The Swedish Migration Agency has clearly prioritised cases related to higher education and highly qualified labour, and there is no need for the Parliamentary Ombudsman to comment on processing times for these types of cases. In terms of other labour-market cases, there remains a large backlog of cases.
The Parliamentary Ombudsman notes that there remains an obvious need for greater effort so that the Swedish Migration Agency can get to grips with its long processing times. Withe regard to the individual complaints, the Swedish Migration Agency is criticised for slow and passive administration.

JO intends to continue to monitor the Swedish Migration Agency’s processing times. A copy of the decision is therefore sent to the Government Offices of Sweden for information.