https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Feeling betrayed, disappointed but not surprised, and concerned that the rule of law is deteriorating in Sweden: here's how The Local's readers responded after a dramatic citizenship vote in the Swedish parliament. https://www.thelocal.com/20260430/i-feel-scammed-foreigners-in-sweden-react-to-controversial-citizenship-vote Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:29:16 +0200 i-feel-scammed-foreigners-in-sweden-react-to-controversial-citizenship-vote The Swedish opposition is calling for a revote on attaching transitional rules to the citizenship reforms, after the Sweden Democrats controversially blocked its majority. https://www.thelocal.com/20260430/swedish-opposition-demand-revote-on-transitional-citizenship-rules Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:03:30 +0200 swedish-opposition-demand-revote-on-transitional-citizenship-rules Sweden's Migration Minister Johan Forssell of the Moderates said it was "very important" that parliament stopped transitional rules for the new citizenship law. https://www.thelocal.com/20260430/forssell-says-citizenship-transitional-rules-would-have-been-dangerous-for-sweden Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:06:55 +0200 forssell-says-citizenship-transitional-rules-would-have-been-dangerous-for-sweden Clive Eley moved to Denmark just over five years ago from the UK with his wife, a Dane who has spent most of her life outside of Denmark. Since arriving in Denmark he has noticed the tone towards immigrants change for the worse, and now believes that Denmark is turning away the people it wants to attract. https://www.thelocal.com/20260430/interview-danish-rhetoric-on-migration-is-switching-off-people-like-me Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:07:59 +0200 interview-danish-rhetoric-on-migration-is-switching-off-people-like-me The far-right Sweden Democrat party blocked an opposition proposal to add transitional rules to the citizenship law, by sending two MPs to vote that it had agreed would be absent, The Local reveals. https://www.thelocal.com/20260429/sweden-democrats-accused-of-cheating-to-block-transition-rules Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:18:19 +0200 sweden-democrats-accused-of-cheating-to-block-transition-rules The Swedish parliament on April 29th passed a bill affecting the lives of more than 100,000 prospective citizens. The Local reported live from parliament. Join the conversation here. https://www.thelocal.com/20260429/live-blog-swedish-mps-debate-and-vote-on-citizenship-bill Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:01:59 +0200 live-blog-swedish-mps-debate-and-vote-on-citizenship-bill On April 29th, parliament will vote on a bill that makes getting Swedish citizenship a lot harder. What's in it? https://www.thelocal.com/20260429/key-points-whats-in-swedens-june-6th-citizenship-laws Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:17:37 +0200 key-points-whats-in-swedens-june-6th-citizenship-laws With a majority of just one vote, parliament rejected adding transitional rules to Sweden's June 6th citizenship reforms. But there's still reason to be hopeful, writes The Local's Richard Orange. https://www.thelocal.com/20260429/opinion-the-campaign-for-transitional-citizenship-rules-failed-but-it-wasnt-in-vain Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:52:15 +0200 opinion-the-campaign-for-transitional-citizenship-rules-failed-but-it-wasnt-in-vain The majority of refugees who come to Germany each year come from war zones, such as from Syria around 2015 or Ukraine since 2022. So why do a number of US citizens also submit applications for asylum each year? https://www.thelocal.com/20260429/why-do-some-us-citizens-seek-asylum-in-germany Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:21:54 +0200 why-do-some-us-citizens-seek-asylum-in-germany Sweden’s opposition parties failed to add transitional rules to the new stricter citizenship bill when it was voted through by parliament, meaning the tougher rules will apply even to pending applications when they come into force on June 6th. https://www.thelocal.com/20260429/swedens-parliament-rejects-transitional-rules-for-citizenship-bill Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:21:48 +0200 swedens-parliament-rejects-transitional-rules-for-citizenship-bill On April 29th, the Swedish parliament will vote on a bill on tighter citizenship rules – and whether or not transitional rules should be included for the 100,000 applicants already in the queue. We asked The Local's readers what they think MPs need to know ahead of the vote. https://www.thelocal.com/20260427/we-trusted-you-sweden-foreigners-pleas-to-mps-ahead-of-citizenship-vote Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:55:53 +0200 we-trusted-you-sweden-foreigners-pleas-to-mps-ahead-of-citizenship-vote It's the start of a crucial week for a lot of foreigners in Sweden, especially those 100,000 people waiting for a decision on their citizenship application. https://www.thelocal.com/20260427/crunch-time-for-swedish-citizenship-campaigners-as-crucial-vote-draws-near Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:52:54 +0200 crunch-time-for-swedish-citizenship-campaigners-as-crucial-vote-draws-near Long waits for appointments, burdensome bureaucracy and language barriers: applying for a residence permit can be a tricky business for foreigners in Germany. We asked readers to share their experience and their top tips. https://www.thelocal.com/20260210/you-need-patience-what-its-like-to-get-a-residence-permit-in-germany Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:26:01 +0100 you-need-patience-what-its-like-to-get-a-residence-permit-in-germany Anna Metreveli, a Russian PhD student in sociolinguistics, had her application to switch to a new residence permit rejected on the grounds that she did not leave Sweden to reapply, which has left her education and her son's right to specialised education and healthcare in the country up in the air. https://www.thelocal.com/20260420/phd-student-refused-swedish-permit-and-told-to-apply-from-abroad-despite-sons-disability Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:28:36 +0200 phd-student-refused-swedish-permit-and-told-to-apply-from-abroad-despite-sons-disability These are the key dates to be aware of as the Swedish parliament prepares to vote on the question of citizenship reforms. https://www.thelocal.com/20260413/key-dates-what-are-the-next-steps-for-swedens-citizenship-bill Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:27:53 +0200 key-dates-what-are-the-next-steps-for-swedens-citizenship-bill The Local Sweden's editorial team held a live Q&A with members about Sweden's proposed changes to permanent residency status. We've pulled out some of the key questions and our team's responses. https://www.thelocal.com/20260410/your-questions-answered-on-swedens-proposed-permanent-residency-changes Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:03:33 +0200 your-questions-answered-on-swedens-proposed-permanent-residency-changes With less than a month until parliament is set to vote on Sweden's biggest citizenship overhaul in years, Spotify Workers Unionen and the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO) have thrown their support behind a campaign to include transitional rules for those already in the Migration Agency's queue. https://www.thelocal.com/20260402/swedish-union-leaders-warn-haphazard-citizenship-reforms-could-harm-international-reputation Thu, 02 Apr 2026 08:31:41 +0200 swedish-union-leaders-warn-haphazard-citizenship-reforms-could-harm-international-reputation Bureaucratic backlogs and rule changes on residency rights are having an increasing impact on the lives of foreigners living around Europe. Many say they have been left in legal limbo with their lives effectively on hold. https://www.thelocal.com/20260411/a-nightmare-lives-of-foreigners-across-europe-hit-by-residency-card-delays Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:53:39 +0200 a-nightmare-lives-of-foreigners-across-europe-hit-by-residency-card-delays The far-right Alternative for Germany recently tried, and failed, to significantly tighten the Naturalisation Act. With the issue once again in the spotlight, we look at how parties voted and why citizenship rules are so fiercely debated. https://www.thelocal.com/20260409/are-germanys-current-citizenship-laws-at-risk-after-far-rights-latest-bid Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:17:49 +0200 are-germanys-current-citizenship-laws-at-risk-after-far-rights-latest-bid The Centre for Justice has taken on Indian researcher Fahima Ayub Khan's migration court case, which her lawyer describes as "part of a much broader system failure" in Sweden. https://www.thelocal.com/20260409/we-are-not-bonded-labourers-university-researcher-fights-swedish-deportation-order Thu, 09 Apr 2026 07:29:53 +0200 we-are-not-bonded-labourers-university-researcher-fights-swedish-deportation-order