New housing and work demands for immigrants

[Weltschmerz]

New housing and work demands for immigrants
Published: 7 Feb 08 13:12 CET
Online: The Local - New housing and work demands for immigrants

The government has proposed a new directive requiring immigrants to have a job and housing before sending for relatives.

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The directive was announced jointly by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and Migration Minister Tobias Billström.

According to the Prime Minister, the proposal is a way to strengthen the government’s job creation policy. He stressed that a multicultural Sweden would function better by reducing the number of people stuck in crowded living quarters and dependent on government welfare payments.

“It is an important and meaningful approach to strengthen job creation,” said Reinfeldt.

Reinfeldt went on to indicate clearly that he was against forces—such as the far-right Sweden Democrats—that focus only on the unpleasant side of a multicultural Sweden.

“We must bring all our strength together against those [forces], not by hiding behind the problems, but rather by ensuring that things work better,” said Reinfeldt.

Later in the day, Billström will present the directive once again during a special press conference to be held in Landskrona, one of the Sweden Democrats’ strongholds in the south of Sweden.

Meanwhile, the directive has already received criticism from the Left Party.

“This is one of the most serious restrictions on immigrants’ human rights that has occurred in many years,” wrote Left Party spokesman Kalle Larsson in a statement.

According to Larsson, simply restricting people’s ability to meet their closest relatives won’t make it any easier for them to get a job or appropriate housing.

“One can ask themselves if the next step won’t be to take custody of the children of jobless Swedes in order to force their parents to get jobs,” added Larsson.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)