The Swedish parliament passed a law on Monday that allows authorities to revoke immigrants' residence permits for bad behavior, such as unpaid debts, illegal work or links to extremist organizations, Reuters reports.
The law, which covers pending permit applications but also applies retroactively to permits already granted, is part of a broader tightening of immigration rules by the right-wing government and its parliamentary ally, the nationalist Sweden Democrats, ahead of parliamentary elections in September.
The opposition and human rights organizations criticized the law as arbitrary, as decisions would be made based on behavior that was not considered a criminal offense.
"The Good Conduct Act leaves people in uncertainty about what actions or expressions can be used against them," said the Stockholm-based organization Civil Rights Defenders.
"It undermines the rule of law and the principle of equality before the law."
The government, which won the 2022 election on a promise to reduce immigration and crack down on crime, has said that people who behave inappropriately or commit crimes are not welcome.
The law does not specify what types of behavior are considered unacceptable, but the government has mentioned unpaid debts, tax evasion, crime and links to extremist organizations. The Migration Agency is responsible for reviewing permits, and decisions can be appealed to the Migration Court.
"Anyone who doesn't make an effort to do the right thing shouldn't be able to count on staying," Migration Minister Johan Forsell said when he proposed the law in March.
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