Immigrants to Sweden will receive large sums of money if they return home

Migrants prepare to board a train at Padborg station to travel from Denmark to Sweden.

The Swedish government announced on September 12 that it would sharply increase the amount of money it would give immigrants if they agreed to leave the country and return to their home countries, in a move to encourage more immigrants to do the same.

The right-wing government, backed by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, announced at a press conference that from 2026, migrants who voluntarily return home will be eligible to receive up to 350,000 kronor (US$36,000).

"We are in the midst of a major change in our migration policy," Swedish Immigration Minister Johan Forssell was quoted by AFP as saying.

Currently, voluntarily repatriated migrants can receive up to 10,000 kronor per adult and 5,000 kronor per child, with a ceiling of 40,000 kronor per family.

"This funding has been around since 1984, but it is relatively unknown, small in scale and relatively few people use it," Ludvig Aspling of the Sweden Democrats told reporters.

He added that if more people knew about the grant and its size was increased, more people would likely take up the offer.

The announcement comes despite a government-appointed inquiry last month recommending against a significant increase in funding, saying the expected benefits did not justify the costs.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has promised to fight immigration and crime after he takes power in 2022 with a minority coalition government backed by the Sweden Democrats, which emerged as Sweden's second-largest party with 20.5% of the vote in the general election.

Sweden has taken in large numbers of migrants since the 1990s, mainly from countries in conflict such as the Middle East. However, the Nordic country has struggled for years to integrate the immigrants.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nguoi-nhap-cu-vao-thuy-dien-se-duoc-nhan-so-tien-lon-neu-chiu-hoi-huong-185240912213002096.htm