Reason Round Table: A weekly discussion group for thoughtful, curious people

Scandinavian "Good Behavior" Laws

On June 15, 2026, Sweden's parliament passed a "good behaviour" law that lets authorities revoke immigrants' residency permits based on conduct such as unpaid debts, undeclared work, not paying taxes, criminal activity, or links to extremist organisations. This law expands an existing "good conduct" principle known as "hederligt levnadssätt" ("honest living") so that a person's overall way of life now carries greater weight in decisions to grant or withdraw a permit, even when the behaviour isn't a crime.

Supporters say that residency is a privilege conditioned on contributing and following the law, arguing that migrants who work and pay their taxes have little to worry about. Critics call it arbitrary because permits can be pulled over behaviour that was never deemed criminal, and because the government has not published a clear list of what counts.
Is requiring good behaviour a fair condition for residency, or a dangerous precedent that's ripe for abuse?

Sweden votes to back laws reinforcing its immigration crackdown - The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/16/sweden-votes-to-back-laws-reinforcing-its-immigration-crackdown

Sweden passes 'good behaviour' law to kick out misbehaving immigrants - Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/world/sweden-passes-good-behaviour-law-kick-out-misbehaving-immigrants-2026-06-15/

Denmark moves towards enacting law to deport criminal foreigners more easily - Info Migrants
https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/69582/denmark-moves-towards-enacting-law-to-deport-criminal-foreigners-more-easily

Sweden adopts ‘good behaviour’ law that could affect Southeast Asian immigrants - ScandAsia
https://scandasia.com/sweden-adopts-good-behaviour-law-that-could-affect-southeast-asian-immigrants/