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This article traces the modern history of immigration in Sweden through political turning points and the way in which Swedish public opinion has evolved over time with regard to the reception of foreigners. The article shows that Sweden has gone through long periods characterised by more or less strict regulations, as well as periods of immigration to make up for labour shortages. The major change came in 2015 with the war in Syria, which led to the arrival of large numbers of refugees. Since then, the prevailing view among some politicians has been to limit the arrival of foreigners (from outside the EU) by all legal means possible. However, this situation is creating strong political polarisation in the country.