You may recall that Ms. Sabuni, a moderate-conservative who is Sweden's Minister for Gender Equality, was born and partly raised in Burundi. Sounds like common sense to me, but of course this is a controversial proposal in Sweden. From The Local (Sweden): "Immigrants should be required to learn Swedish before being granted citizenship and do more before receiving certain types of benefits, the [center-right] Liberal Party has argued in a new integration policy programme unveiled on Tuesday. 'What's most important is that those who come to Sweden quickly learn the language and enter the labour market,' three Liberal party ministers, Jan Björklund, Erik Ullenhag and Nyamko Sabuni, wrote in an opinion article in the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper."
More: "According to the ministers, 'the Swedish language is one of the keys to Swedish society' and as a result Swedish integration policies should put more focus on ensuring new arrivals to Sweden learn the local language. In addition to implementing a language requirement for Swedish citizenship, the Liberal Party also wants to see more individualized language instruction for immigrants."
Right now, only 50% of immigrants find work after seven years in Sweden: "In addition to putting an increased emphasis on learning the Swedish language, the party's new eight-point integration policy programme also calls for immigrants to prove they are fully engaged in looking for work or gaining skills that could lead to employment before they are granted welfare benefits. Immigrants who decline an offer of employment should also lose the establishment subsidies designed to help new arrivals get situated in Sweden, the ministers argue. The Liberal Party also proposes that Sweden scrap retroactive parental leave benefits in order to reduce the likelihood that foreign born women refrain from participating in employment preparation programmes and language courses."
Nyamko Sabuni: "Immigrants Should Be Required To Learn Swedish Before Getting Citizenship, & Do More Before Getting Any Welfare Benefits"
