Swedish Citizenship Denied Because Parental Leave Lowers Income Below Threshold

Summary

Long-term immigrants who have lived, worked, and paid taxes in Sweden for a decade are being denied citizenship solely because being on parental leave temporarily drops their income below the mandatory 20,000 SEK/month requirement. This happens even when the person has a stable job, a guaranteed return-to-work date, a Swedish spouse and citizen children, and no criminal record. The rigid rule punishes parents for caring for their newborns and creates extreme emotional distress, uncertainty about their future, and an opaque appeals process. No accessible service exists to help applicants navigate this unfair and life-altering bureaucratic barrier.