The Swedish government has shared new plans to give more money to immigrants who want to go back to their own countries.
Starting in 2026, immigrants in Sweden who choose to leave on their own can get up to 350,000 Swedish kronor (around $34,000) as a grant, according to Channels News.
This new plan is to help more immigrants go back to where they came from.
Details of the New Plan
At a press conference, Migration Minister Johan Forssell talked about the new plan. He said, “We are changing our approach to immigration policy.”
Before, the grant was much smaller. Adults could get 10,000 kronor, kids could get 5,000 kronor, and families could get up to 40,000 kronor total. Now, it is much more money.
Ludvig Aspling from the Sweden Democrats said, “The grant has been here since 1984, but not many people knew about it or used it.”
Aspling thinks that by making the grant bigger and more known, more immigrants might consider taking it.
Opposition to the Increase
Last month, a government report said that increasing the grant by a lot might not be worth it. They suggested not to raise it significantly.
Even though they got this advice, the government decided to go ahead with the change.
Important Things to Know
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who became Prime Minister in 2022 with help from the Sweden Democrats, focuses on immigration and crime reduction.
The Sweden Democrats, the second biggest party in Sweden with 20.5% of the votes, have a strong influence on government decisions about immigration.
Since the 1990s, Sweden has welcomed many people from places like the former Yugoslavia, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, and Iraq.
Sweden has had some trouble helping immigrants fit into Swedish society. This new big grant is a part of their effort to solve these problems and control immigration better.
This new plan to give more money for voluntary repatriation aims to make more immigrants decide to go back to their home countries.
Even though recent advice said not to increase the grant, the government is strongly committed to changing their approach to immigration. This decision will likely affect how Sweden handles immigration and integration in the future.