On Thursday, Sweden’s government announced plans to significantly boost grants for immigrants who decide to voluntarily return to their home countries, aiming to encourage more to take this option.
Starting in 2026, immigrants who choose to return home could be eligible for grants of up to 350,000 Swedish kronor ($34,000).
This initiative was revealed by the right-wing government, which is supported by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, during a press conference.
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“We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in our migration policy,” Migration Minister Johan Forssell told reporters.
Currently, immigrants can receive up to 10,000 kronor per adult and 5,000 kronor per child, with a cap of 40,000 kronor per family.
“The grant has been around since 1984, but it is relatively unknown, it is small and relatively few people use it,” Ludvig Aspling of the Sweden Democrats told reporters.
Aspling mentioned that increasing awareness about the grant and raising its amount could lead to more people accepting the offer.
This announcement comes despite a government-appointed review last month that advised against a significant increase in the grant, arguing that the potential benefits did not justify the anticipated costs.
Conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who took office in 2022 with a minority coalition supported by the Sweden Democrats, has committed to addressing issues of immigration and crime.
The Sweden Democrats became Sweden’s second-largest party in the general election, securing 20.5 percent of the vote.
Sweden has welcomed a large influx of migrants since the 1990s, primarily from conflict-ridden regions such as the former Yugoslavia, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, and Iraq. However, the country has faced ongoing challenges in integrating these immigrants.
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