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Asylum numbers in Sweden are falling


While politicians in Germany are still wrangling over their asylum policy, Northern Europe is already further ahead. After Denmark, Sweden, once considered liberal, is making a real migration turnaround. By Curd-Torsten Weick.

As early as the end of June 2023, Sweden's conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that migration pressure on several EU countries was increasing, while migration to Sweden was decreasing due to political measures. He added that refugee quotas had fallen by 80 percent as a result of the reforms in migration policy. This brings Sweden closer to the EU minimum for accepting refugees. "We have made the EU a little safer, a little greener and a little freer," emphasized the leader of the Moderate Party (M) shortly before the end of the Swedish EU Council Presidency.

After the right-wing Tidö bloc, formed by the Moderates, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals and tolerated by the right-wing Sweden Democrats in the Riksdag, takes over government responsibility in October 2022, it is obliged to implement its promised "paradigm shift in the field of migration". Its main objectives are: "Controls at the external borders will be strengthened, support for Member States in need of protection will be increased and repatriation will be given priority."

Compulsory work and deportations are the order of the day
Since 2011, 1.2 million foreign citizens have immigrated to Sweden, and in the same period more than 700,000 have taken on Swedish citizenship. Many of them are helping to make Sweden stronger, richer and better, but the scale of immigration has posed major challenges to society. "Integration problems now shape most policy areas. For this reason, the government is changing its policy," the government explained its objective in October 2023. In order to reverse the trend and create the conditions for integration, measures have already been implemented or are planned to reduce asylum-related migration to a long-term sustainable level.

While they wait for their asylum application to be processed, migrants must earn a living. "You can do this either with your savings or by working. In order to be allowed to work as an asylum seeker, you must have a certificate (AT-UND) stating that you are exempt from the work permit requirement. It is important that you can earn your own living. If you do not earn your own money and do not have any other means, you can apply to the immigration authorities for financial support. The financial support is made up of several parts: daily allowance, accommodation compensation and special allowance," the migrant advice service tells potential immigrants.

Those who receive a deportation order must leave Sweden, according to the Tidö rules. Accordingly, stricter conditions for family reunification and limited opportunities for residence permits on humanitarian grounds, fewer quota refugees and more effective tools for the authorities in internal immigration control have been introduced. "The current rules for the immigration of family members are more generous than required by EU law and other international obligations," stressed the Minister for Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard (M). In addition, the number of revocations of residence permits has increased and the establishment of reception and return centers, which are intended to abolish the current system of private accommodation, has begun.

Tidö coalition builds asylum return centers
Return centres are run by the Swedish Migration Agency and are special accommodations for people who have received an enforceable decision about their deportation or transfer to another country. People housed in the Swedish Migration Agency's return centres receive support from the agency in planning their return and reintegration into their home country. This may include help with booking travel, obtaining travel documents or contacting the embassy of the home country.

"Reception and return centres should not initially be located in or near areas that have been classified as vulnerable areas by the police authority. When planning reception centres, the Swedish Migration Agency must also take into account the long-term regional labour market conditions for those who will later receive a residence permit," said Migration Minister Stenergard. On 24 May this year, Kristersson and Stenergard visited the Swedish Migration Agency's first return centre in Arlöv, near Malmö, to discuss ongoing and future cooperation between the municipality, the Swedish Migration Agency and the government on return issues.

Nordic countries want to work together to combat mass migration
During this visit, Kristersson had to explain to the Swedish news agency TT why he had written to Swedish embassies asking them to provide accurate information about Sweden in order to prevent people who have no grounds for asylum from travelling to Sweden. "We are now fundamentally changing Swedish migration policy, so it is important that the countries from which many people come to Sweden know what applies," he told TT. When asked whether people whom Sweden wants to deport would not be accepted by their home countries, Kristersson replied: "We are working with strong pressure - in matters of aid, diplomacy, visas - to make it clear that you always have responsibility for your own citizens."

On August 8, Sweden's Minister of Migration Stenergard stepped up to the microphones and announced, visibly proud, that the number of asylum seekers in Sweden had fallen by 27 percent in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year and was at a historically low level - for the first time in 50 years, Sweden had experienced net emigration. In the first half of 2024, a total of 5,600 asylum applications were registered, and last year even the emigration of people born in countries such as Iraq, Somalia and Syria had increased. At the same time, Maria Malmer Stenergard appealed to immigrants: "If you want to stay in Sweden, you should learn the language, support yourself and respect Swedish values."

As a result, Stenergard met with her ministerial colleagues from Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland in Norway on 16 August 2024. The main focus was on measures to combat abuse of the visa system. The main focus was on how to prevent abuse of the common visa system to protect our external borders and the integrity of the asylum system. "Many asylum applications are submitted by people with a Schengen visa or by people from countries that are exempt from the visa requirement. To prevent this in the future, a joint effort is essential. It is in our common interest to prevent any abuse of the visa institute," the ministers said.

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