The Swedish government will give 40 million taka if you voluntarily return home!
September 23, 20243 Mins Read
International Desk: The country's government plans to give up to 34 thousand dollars to immigrants from Sweden who voluntarily return to their country. The country's right-wing government made the announcement on Thursday to discourage migrants.

Sweden's anti-immigration right-wing government has embarked on a plan. It is said that from 2026, those immigrants who voluntarily want to return to their home country, will be paid 350,000 Swedish krona or about 34 thousand dollars. Which is about 40 lakhs in Bangladeshi currency.

"We are standing in the middle of a paradigm shift in immigration policy," Immigration Minister Johan Forsel said at a press conference.

Why such a plan
Currently, the government pays up to 10,000 krona for adults and 5,000 krona for children if they return to their country under the voluntary repatriation program from Sweden. The maximum limit for a single family is 40,000 Swedish krona.

Ludwig Espling, leader of the ruling Sweden Democrats, said the rule had been in place since 1984 but remained largely unknown. Very few people have availed this facility till now. According to the government, only one has availed this facility last year.

According to Espling, if people are more informed and the amount of money is increased, the number of immigrants willing to leave Sweden will increase.

He said, 'Hundreds of lakhs of people who have been unemployed for a long time or who have low income, who have to live on state allowance, will take this incentive. I think this team will be interested.'

A government-sponsored inquiry last month suggested the possibility of not significantly increasing the amount of money offered to those interested in voluntary repatriation. They warned that compared to the cost of the government, effective results will not be obtained. However, the government decided to increase the amount of money several times without following their advice.

A number of European countries have similar programs for the voluntary return of migrants without a residence permit. For example, Denmark pays up to 15 thousand dollars per person. France gives up to $2,800, Germany $2,000 and Norway $1,400 to voluntary repatriates.

Who's Eligible
According to Sweden's government's immigration agency, migrants have a right to protection in the country, as well as a right to return. They provide financial assistance if one decides to repatriate. A person with a permanent or temporary residence permit in Sweden can apply for this grant. Refugees, quota refugees, persons under subsidiary protection or their dependents are eligible for this benefit.

Swedish citizens, holders of a residence permit under a temporary protection order or persons from Ukraine are ineligible. He will also be ineligible if he has enough money to return and if he has debts to anyone in Sweden.

What the Swedish government is thinking is
that the conservative Prime Minister Wolf Kristerson came to power in 2022 in alliance with the Sweden Democrats. The main agenda of the Sweden Democrats was to take measures against immigration and crime.

Sweden had a liberal stance on immigration in the 1990s. At that time, they received a large number of immigrants, including citizens of war-torn Yugoslavia, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran and Iraq.

Sweden accommodated 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015, the highest per capita of any European Union (EU) country at the time. But the rate of unemployment among the foreign-born gradually increased. This increases wealth inequality in the country and puts pressure on the government's social welfare sector.

After the massive influx of immigrants in 2015, the then social democratic government announced that it was no longer possible to keep the door open for immigrants. Governments on both the left and the right took a series of measures to stem the immigration rush. Asylum seekers are only granted temporary residence permits, family visa conditions are tightened and the government increases the age limit for work visas for non-EU citizens.

In addition, the current government also plans to simplify the process of deportation of immigrants for breaking the rules, involvement with terrorist organizations or comments against Swedish values.

Source: InfoMigrants