Kan ett strafföreläggande påverka chansen att få permanent uppehållstillstånd?

Question

Hi,

I was caught driving with a learner's license in Dec 2020 and in March 2021 I received a "strafföreläggande" with the amount that I need to pay, from the Prosecutor's office. I have been working in Sweden since 2017 and am due to get my Permanent Residency in Sep 2021. I would like to know if the criminal injuction that I received will affect the decision on my permanent residency or not?

Answer 1

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Lawline with your question!

As I understand your case, you have received a criminal injunction due to unlawful driving and now you're wondering if this might affect the decision on your permanent residency which you are due to get this year in September.

The law that regulates residencies and permanent residencies is lagen om tillfälliga begränsningar av möjligheten att få uppehållstillstånd i Sverige (begränsningslagen). As stated in 17 a §, a person who is seeking permanent residency can be denied if they pose a threat to public order and security or if they have committed a crime or crime in conjunction with other misconduct.

So the short answer is yes, the criminal injunction can affect the decision of your residency. Although, just because it can, does not mean it will. The Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) makes an individual examination of each case and the criminal injunction might not affect the outcome of the decision on your permanent residency. It is up to them.

If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact us again.

Best regards,