According to the European Web Site on Integration, Governance of Migrant Integration in Sweden, on 1 January 2017, 466,232 TCNs were living in Sweden. They represented 5% of the total population, according to Sweden Statistics. It is also worth mentioning that the mass refugee influx to Sweden 2015/6 resulted to laws and policy reforms. In particular, the established legislation frameworks is hereby briefly presented:
- Foreigners Law: The Swedish Aliens Act was adopted in 2005. The parliament accepted a temporary law to replace it in June 2016. The law brought a drastic change to the Swedish asylum policy: refugees no longer automatically receive permanent residence permits but a 3-year, temporary residence permit instead. Beneficiaries of subsidiary protection are now granted a 13-month permit. They can prolong their permits twice and only receive permanent residence if they are able to prove their financial independence.
- Asylum Law: The Law on Reception of Asylum Seekers was last amended with the same temporary foreigners law halting the automatic grant of permanent residence to beneficiaries of international protection. Prior to that, the 2008 amendment granted asylum seekers the crucial right to free medical care.