Swedish Remigration Allowance Increased to 30,000 Euros per Person

stockholm - Swedish Minister of Migration Johan Forssell announced a significant increase in remigration allowance during a press conference, aiming to make return to the country of origin more attractive for refugees.

Minister of Migration Johan Forssell announced the increase during a press conference on investments in the migration budget. With the increase, a return to the country of origin should become more appealing for refugees. Currently, they are entitled to a support allowance of approximately nine hundred euros per person and a travel allowance. From 2026, this amount will increase to over thirty thousand euros per person. The budget created for 2026 is intended to facilitate the possible return of 4000 individuals.

"At the same time, rules are being revised to minimize fraud and misuse," said migration policy spokesperson Ludvig Aspling of the Sweden Democrats during the press conference. The increase was a key point in the 2022 government agreement for the far-right ruling party. "Now, more people who cannot find their place here will choose to return rather than live on benefits and in exclusion. We believe that there may be more who want to go home, but need a little help," Aspling told TV4.

The government's actions go against an internal research report that questioned the effectiveness of the measure. The report, presented in August, warned that the increase in the number of returnees would be minimal. Instead of 4000, only 700 individuals were expected to avail of the scheme. Additionally, the measure could potentially harm integration by making these individuals feel unwelcome in Sweden.

Only one person utilized the current scheme last year. "Show me one political reform that does not come with risks. Doing nothing while there are major issues with integration and exclusion is also a risk," said Minister of Migration Forssell in response to disregarding internal government advice.

Sweden is following Denmark's lead with a similar compensation scheme in place. Forssell argues that research has not shown that the increase in the neighboring country has negatively impacted integration. The Swedish government is allocating 105 million euros for preparation costs to streamline the system and for informational campaigns.

This decision marks one of Johan Forssell's first acts as the new Minister of Migration. He succeeded Maria Malmer Stenergard, who took over as Minister for Foreign Affairs from the outgoing Tobias Billström. Forssell also announced during the press conference an expansion in internal immigration controls and resources for personal identification.