Richard Orange
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Articles by Richard Orange
IN DATA: How many teen deportations are there in Sweden?
What counts as a 'teen deportation'? Part of the problem is that "teen deportation" is not a category that the Migration Agency uses in the data it keeps on deportation decisions. There is not really even an agreed definition within the Swedish media. At The Local, we define "teen deportation" as a situation where a young adult of between 18 and 20 years old is refused a permit and issued with a deportation order, and where neither parent is issued a deportation order at the same time.
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
First gang criminal deported without being convicted The first person has been deported from Norway under a new law allowing suspected gang criminals to be deported from the country without being found guilty of a crime. "He's been deported and he won't be able to come back to Norway for the rest of his life. It's as simple as that," Rune Solberg Swahn, head of the Joint Unit for Immigration and Administration at the Oslo police, told the VG newspaper.
'All must have prizes': what Easter egg socialism says about Sweden Original
Easter egg hunts rank among my most treasured memories of growing up in England: scouring tree hollows, fence posts, cracks in the garden wall, drainpipes, even the trumpets of sturdier daffodils, for foil-wrapped chocolate deliciousness. So when my children reached egg-hunting age, it was wonderful to discover that this tradition exists in Sweden too (apparently it's originally German and may even have been started by none other than the Protestant reformer Martin Luther).
Five ways in which Sweden's government is eroding the rule of law Original
Sweden was one of six countries named as "sliders" in the report, defined as "countries where democratic standards decline in certain areas without being part of a clear political strategy". The other sliders were Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and Malta. This was the second worst category in the report, better than the so-called "dismantlers" – Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia – whose governments are actively seeking to undermine the rule of law.
A ban on being Swedish? Minister rails against France's new snus ban Original
Snus, or snuff, is a major diplomatic issue for the Swedes. When the country joined the European Union in 1995, it did so on the condition that it would be exempted from the EU's ban on the small tobacco pouches, which users stuff under their upper lip. France, from April 1st, is bringing in a ban on tobacco-free nicotine pouches, known in Sweden as vit snus, or white snuff and Swedes in the country are panicking. "I'm trembling.
Swedish government wants to renegotiate pay transparency directive Original
In a press release, the government said that it would work within the EU to postpone the implementation date of the directive and then start a renegotiation aimed at simplifying the rules. Sweden's Minister for Equality, Nina Larsson, said that Sweden supported the directive's goal of providing new tools to help reduce gender pay differences, but feared that the directive would be counterproductive in its current form.
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Norway and Belgium sign cross-border CO2 transport deal Norway and Belgium have a deal aimed at enabling the construction of a pipeline to transport CO2 from Zeebrugge in Belgium to a disposal site in Norwegian waters. The deal comes after the Norwegian oil company Equinor last July signed a memorandum of understanding over building the pipelines with Belgian gas network operator Fluxys and German transmission system operator OGE.
'A ban on being Swedish': Minister rails against France's new snus ban
Snus, or snuff, is a major diplomatic issue for the Swedes. When the country joined the European Union in 1995, it did so on the condition that it would be exempted from the EU's ban on the small tobacco pouches, which users stuff under their upper lip. France, from April 1st, is bringing in a ban on tobacco-free nicotine pouches, known in Sweden as vit snus, or white snuff and Swedes in the country are panicking. "I'm trembling.
IN DATA: Which are the oldest cases in Sweden's citizenship backlog?
The average processing time for decided cases of citizenship by naturalisation rose to 1,021 days in the first two months of this year, as the Migration Agency prioritises older cases. But some applications have already been waiting longer than that 1,021-day average, with one case dating back to 2016, two from 2017 and 39 from 2018.
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Government to cut tax on petrol and diesel The veibruksavgiften or road tax in Norway will be temporarily lifted from Wednesday (April 1st), reducing the tax on a litre of petrol by 4.41 kroner and on diesel by 2.85 kroner (both including VAT), Norway's government announced in a press release on Monday morning. The government is also lifting the CO2 tax on mineral oil for the fishing industry from April 1st.
TELL US: What are the best districts in Malmö for foreigners?
Aerial view of apartment buildings in the Western Harbour district in Malmö. Photo: Aline Lessner/Imagebank Sweden Malmö probably comes closest of Sweden's cities to the 'poor but sexy' moniker once claimed by Berlin, but as well as more bohemian areas like Möllevången, Sorgenfri, and Kirseberg, there are upmarket ones like Bellevue, Limhamn, and Gamla Väster. Some areas suit families, some young adults. Some offer harbourside living, others nightlife and restaurants.
Social Democrats join call to add transitional rules to citizenship bill
The party filed a motion in the Swedish parliament on Friday, stating that while it supports the stricter citizenship rules themselves, transitional rules should be added to protect applications that have already submitted. If the bill is passed, it will increase the residency requirement for citizenship from five to eight years, and bring in new Swedish language, civic knowledge, and income requirements.
Food tax cut and citizenship vote: What changes in Sweden in April 2026
Parliament votes on stricter citizenship law On April 29th, parliament is set to debate and vote on a bill increasing the residency requirement for Swedish citizenship from five to eight years. The bill will also bring in new requirements for language skills, civic knowledge, and self-sufficiency. As it currently stands, the new stricter requirements will apply to all citizenship applications decided from June 6th, the day the law comes into force, regardless of when the application was made.
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Government defeated on fuel tax cuts after Centre votes with opposition Norway's government will be forced to slash taxes of petrol and diesel after the Centre Party voted with the opposition in favour of a move to temporarily cut the price of the fuel at a cost of 6.7 billion kroner. This means that the veibruksavgiften fuel tax will be temporarily reduced from April 1st to September 1st, and that businesses will also receive a number of cuts to fuel tax.
Build your own Danish government with The Local's election widget
The ‘red bloc’ of left-wing parties won 84 seats, while the right-wing ‘blue bloc’ won 77. But neither side has a majority alone, which means the non-aligned Moderates, with 14 seats, can effectively choose who gets to govern. It's not that simple, though, as several parties have red lines limiting the options. What are the parties' red lines? The Liberal Party has ruled out another grand coalition with the Social Democrats.
'An international hub': These are the best districts for foreigners in Gothenburg
Majorna, with its distinctive wooden buildings, tree-lined avenues, and variety of independent shops, restaurants and bars, was the clear favourite for foreigners, who appreciated its nightlife, and relaxed, sociable atmosphere.
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Parliament to vote on emergency fuel subsidies Norway's parliament is set to vote on Thursday on rival proposals to cut the price of diesel and petrol, with the populist Centre Party breaking with the government and pushing ahead with its own plan, which will see carbon taxes on diesel slashed.
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Diesel price in Norway passes 30 kroner a litre The diesel price in Norway has passed 30 kroner per litre in several places, making driving around 660 kroner per month more expensive for the average motorist, the Norwegian Automobile Federation has said. "An increase of 660 kroner to fill up on already expensive fuel will be very noticeable in people's wallets," the organisation's press manager, Ingunn Handagard, said in a press statement.
Swedish Migration Agency struggles to clear backlog as waiting time passes 1,000 days Original
Last August, Sara Sjudin, a section head in the Migration Agency's citizenship division, told The Local that the agency hoped to clear most of its backlog of four-year-old citizenship cases by the end of 2025. To do this, cases would be handled strictly in order of application date from that October.
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Støre announces drone investment for the Armed Forces Norway's prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre has revealed that a major investment in drones will form the centrepiece of Norway's new long-term plan for the Armed Forces, which will be announced in full on Friday. "We will strengthen how all parts of the Armed Forces work to use drones and defend against drones," Støre told the VG newspaper in an interview.
Swedish police impose stop-and-search zone on embassy district
The police said they were imposing the zone – called a säkerhetszon in Swedish – to allow police to stop and search cars and individuals without suspicion and so combat the "increased threat situation" caused by the the conflict launched on February 28th. "The ongoing armed conflict in the Middle East between, above all, Iran, the USA and Israel, is not limited by geography," the police wrote in a press statement.
Swedish security police justify stance on citizenship transitional rules Original
Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell last week told The Local that the decision to implement new citizenship rules with no transitional period, against the advice of the Council on Legislation and an official inquiry, was due to “security reasons”.
Swedish Migration Agency stops automatically taking passports in citizenship cases Original
Citizenship applicants have long complained that they are asked to send in their passports and Permanent Residency cards to the Migration Agency long before their application is assigned a case officer, making it impossible for them to travel unless they ask to receive their documents back.
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Norwegian support for monarchy unchanged by Epstein scandal Support for the monarchy in Norway is at least stable, and has possibly even increased, in the wake of the scandals around Crown Princess Mette-Marit, according to a new poll conducted by InFact for Nettavisen. When asked whether Norway should remain a monarchy 64.6 percent answered yes, up from 61.3 percent the last time the question was asked, although the change was within the margin of error of 3 percent.
Migration Agency submits three lists of jobs for work permit salary exemption
The government in January ordered the Migration Agency to prepare a list of job titles that could be exempted from a new minimum salary for a work permit set at 90 percent of Sweden's median wage (currently 33,390 kronor a month), with the Migration Agency required to submit it to the government by March 20th.
Norway's Crown Princess 'manipulated and deceived' by Epstein
"Of course, I wish I had never met him," Mette-Marit said in a 20-minute joint interview with Crown Prince Haakon. "I feel so manipulated. And when you are manipulated, you don't realise it from the start. I think I see more today how manipulated I was. Of course it takes time to process. But there were a number of events that made me think 'this is not good'," she said.
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Norway's Crown Princess says she was 'manipulated and deceived' by Epstein Crown Princess Mette-Marit has opened up about her relationship with the sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein in a long interview with Norwegian public broadcaster NRK broadcast on Friday morning. "Of course, I wish I had never met him," Mette-Marit said in the joint interview with Crown Prince Haakon. "I feel so manipulated. And when you are manipulated, you don't realise it from the start.
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Trial of Crown Princess's son reaches final day The trial of Marius Høiby, son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, comes to an end today, with defence lawyers expected to make a final case for his innocence and to and dismiss the prosecution's call to jail him for more than seven years. The prosecution wrapped up their case on Wednesday, calling for Høiby to be jailed for seven years and seven months if he is found guilty of the 39 offences, which include four rapes.
Inquiry proposes stripping Swedish citizenship for gang violence
The inquiry defined the phrase "damaging society's vital interests" to include crimes under the Weapons Act, Benefit Fraud Act, Act on Flammable and Explosive Goods, and Money Laundering Penal Act, with those found guilty of such crimes liable to lose their citizenship if found guilty of an offence sufficiently serious to warrant a jail sentence of four years or more.
Swedish parliament set to vote on new work permit salary threshold Original
The new threshold will increase the minimum salary for a permit from the current level of 29,680 kronor to 33,390 kronor when it comes into effect in June 2026, and will also empower the government to exempt work permits for certain jobs.
Inquiry proposes stripping Swedish citizenship for gun and bomb crimes
The inquiry defined the phrase "damaging society's vital interests" to include crimes under the Weapons Act, Benefit Fraud Act, Act on Flammable and Explosive Goods, and Money Laundering Penal Act, with those found guilty of such crimes liable to lose their citizenship if found guilty of an offence sufficiently serious to warrant a jail sentence of four years or more.
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Norway's government bloc wins back lead in new poll Norway's ruling left-wing bloc has once again overtaken the opposition in a new poll, after a rise in support for the Socialist Left Party outweighed falling support for the Labour Party. "These are very small margins, and it will take very little for it to swing the other way," Johannes Bergh, head of the Norwegian National Election Studies, told the FriFagbevegelse newspaper.
What 2026 election policies could affect foreigners in Denmark?
Denmark's prime minister Mette Frederiksen has pulled the Social Democrats to the left in this election campaign, suggesting she's aiming to form a left-of-centre government, perhaps with the Green Left party and the Social Liberals.
Swedish government scraps language tests for permanent residency Original
A government inquiry recommended back in 2023 that those applying for permanent residency should from 2027 be required to pass a test proving that they have reached a level of A2 on the CEFR, the EU's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. This is equivalent to SFI level C, and is classified as a "basic" level of Swedish.
Do Brits need to renew their Brexit residency cards before they expire?
British citizens who took up residence in Denmark before January 1st 2021 were able under the EU Withdrawal Agreement to keep the same rights to live in Denmark that they would have had as EU citizens if they applied for post-Brexit residency by December 31st, 2021. If their application was successful, they then received a residency permit, or opholdstilladelse, ID card.
Swedish opposition parties propose stop law for ongoing teen deportations
The two parties argue that the freeze on rejection decisions announced by the Migration Agency on Friday and confirmed on Wednesday will only help young adults who have not yet had their residency applications rejected. "A pause is not enough," Tony Haddou, migration spokesperson for the Left Party, told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.
Is Sweden's government still planning to revoke permanent residency permits?
What have they agreed? The four parties have agreed to put the proposal to revoke permanent residence permits on hold, while the inquiry's conclusions are "supplemented", with a view to holding negotiations on whether to push ahead with a bill after the election in September. Rather than appointing a new extra inquiry, the Ministry of Justice has been asked to carry out the “supplementary work” internally.
What we know so far about the government's plan to end teen deportations
What's the background? Three years after The Local first started reporting on the issue of teen deportations – young adults who lose the right to a permit in Sweden as a dependent of their parents when they turn 18 – the Swedish media woke up to the issue in a big way this year. Sweden's Green and Left parties at the start of February launched an initiative in a parliamentary committee for a new law to stop the deportations, which pushed the issue to the top of the political agenda.
Sweden's Migration Agency to present shorter list of work permit exemptions
A preliminary working list of exempted professions prepared by the Swedish Migration Agency has been slimmed down to just 25 jobs from the 145 proposed in a former list drawn up last August – reflecting both the lower proposed salary threshold of 33,390 kronor rather than 37,100 kronor and a request from the government for a more limited list.
Spring has now arrived in Stockholm
On Wednesday, Sweden's state weather agency SMHI declared meteorological spring across the whole of Götaland, the southernmost of Sweden's three major subdivisions, and across the lower part of Svealand, including Stockholm. "Today, spring has come to a fairly large part of the country," Anna Belking, a meteorologist at SMHI, told the TT newswire.
TELL US: What's the best district in Oslo for foreigners?
Oslo is an easy city for foreigners to settle in, but should you opt for an upmarket district like Frogner, Majorstuen, or St. Hanshaugen, or for the more vibrant Grünerløkka? Which less expensive districts or suburbs are best for foreigners? We want to hear from our readers. Some areas suit families, some young adults. Some offer coastal swimming, beaches and forests, others nightlife, restaurants and kooky independent stores.
Does Sweden need an 'integration amnesty' to stop deportations? Original
Kopsch says the book, which is due to be released later this March, had its origins in a TikTok post. "I do a video a day when I'm on my dog walk in Lund, and I try to find different topics to talk about," he explains. "My son pointed out to me a video from national broadcaster SVT about a guy named Shahdad who came here from Iran when he was 14.
Moderate youth leader confident of solution for Sweden's teen deportations Original
Last spring, Douglas Thor, leader of the Moderate Party's youth wing, Moderata Ungdomsförbundet (MUF), began hearing stories of people ordered to leave Sweden who in his view deserved to stay, most of them young adults who had lost their right to residency as a dependant on turning 18.
INSIDE SWEDEN: Why it's crunch time for foreigners' migration rights in March
It's going to be a decisive month for foreigners' migration rights. On Tuesday March 3rd, a parliamentary committee will vote on a proposal to ask the parliament to freeze so-called teen deportations, the orders to leave Sweden given to many young people when they turn 18. It's unlikely to pass, but it will put further pressure on Migration Minister Johan Forssell, who is looking more harried by the day.
TELL US: What is the best district for foreigners in Gothenburg?
The Haga "Old town" in Gothenburg has some of the city's most historic and picturesque streets. Photo: Göran Assner/imagebank.sweden.se Some areas suit families, some young adults. Some offer coastal swimming, beaches and forests, others nightlife, restaurants and kooky independent stores. We want to hear your opinions on which parts of Sweden’s second city are best to live in. Please fill in the form below. If it doesn’t pop up, you can use this link. Please sign up or log in to continue reading
Which Stockholm districts do readers of The Local recommend?
Södermalm, the island south of Gamla Stan, has long been a favourite with internationals, who appreciate its lively nightlife, wide variety of restaurants, and arty, cosmopolitan vibe, and our survey showed it was still the most desirable place to live. Out of the 104 readers who responded to our survey, 23 ranked Södermalm as the best district for foreigners in Sweden's capital.
Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Swedish PM says government needs to set up inquiry on teen deportations Sweden's prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, has said that the government plans to launch an inquiry into a long-term solution to the teen deportation problem which could, for instance, involve raising the age at which children of permanent residency holders cease to qualify for a permit as a dependent to 21. But he does not want to pre-empt the conclusions of a future inquiry, he said.
Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Council of Legislation criticises bill on five months' detention for children The Council on Legislation has sharply criticised a draft government bill extending the amount of time children can be held in pre-trial detention from three to five months. The Council, which vets future legislation before it is sent to parliament, said that the bill's proposals contravened the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Sweden's Migration Minister wants to solve teen deportation problem 'this year'
Speaking at a press conference on deporting criminals, Forssell said that a potential solution could come faster than has previously been proposed. "I have never said that we should wait until next year, I am determined that we should have a solution as soon as possible, and it's only February, so we are working flat out," he said.
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