Sweden’s government said on Thursday that it is ready to jack up grants for immigrants who are willing to return to their home countries. The aim is to encourage more migrants to do so.
From 2026, immigrants who choose to return to their countries will be eligible for up to 350,000 Swedish kronor ($34,000), right-wing government supported by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats stated.
Migration Minister Johan Forssell noted at a press conference that Sweden is in the midst of a paradigm shift in its migration policy.
At the moment, immigrants can receive up to 10,000 kronor per adult and 5,000 kronor per child, with a maximum of 40,000 kronor per family.
The grant, according to Ludvig Aspling of the Sweden Democrats, has been available since 1984, but it is relatively unknown, small, and used by few people.
He believed that increased awareness of the grant and its larger size would likely lead to more people accepting the offer.
The announcement came despite a recent government-appointed probe advising against a significant increase, arguing that the expected benefits did not justify the potential costs.
Conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who assumed office in 2022 with a minority coalition supported by the Sweden Democrats, has pledged to address immigration and crime.
Sweden has welcomed many migrants since the 1990s from conflict-ridden countries such as the former Yugoslavia, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, and Iraq, but has faced challenges integrating them.
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