In 2024 more people are leaving Sweden than entering for the first time in decades. This reversal is explained by the government’s restrictive immigration policy. Not long while ago the country took in more refugees than it could manage, but over the past eight years, it has reduced dramatically.
One nation in Europe has not only been successful in lowering net immigration, but has even managed to reverse it. It kept a robust labor force as well. Over the past ten years percent, increased deportations, and doubled the minimum wage requirement for immigrants.
Tightened Immigration Regulations
According to Statistics Sweden, the government’s official statistics agency, 5,700 more people emigrated than immigrated between January and May 2024; the number of applications had not been this low since 1997, said Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard in early August.
Sweden has previously experienced a sharp decline in asylum applications. The number of asylum applications in the nation decreased from 162,877 in 2015 to 28,939 in 2016.
The government’s decision to alter its course is the reason for the lower numbers. By the end of 2015, Sweden’s liberal immigration and integration policies- which had welcomed many asylum seekers from war-torn nations like Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, and the former Yugoslavia – were terminated by the country’s ruling Social Democrats, who also drastically tightened immigration laws. The far-right nationalist Sweden Democrats have backed a minority government headed by conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson since October 2022.
Sweden implemented a number of measures in response to significant “bottlenecks in registering, finding accommodation for, and caring for asylum-seekers entering the country,” according to a report written by Swedish migration expert Bernd Parusel.
According to Parusel, the measures initially addressed entry into Sweden for the purpose of submitting an asylum application. Second, they dealt with the legal ramifications of granting asylum. Thirdly, deportations should be conducted regularly and individuals should be urged to return voluntarily.
Somalis, Syrians, and Iraqis Departing Sweden
As per the August press release from the Swedish government, an increasing number of individuals who were originally from Iraq, Somalia, or Syria are now departing the country. How many of these voluntary returnees are included in the most recent migration statistics is still unknown. Stenergard, however, appears certain that the more stringent policies of the previous eight years are to blame for the current numbers. “The government’s efforts are bearing fruit,” she stated. Additionally, up to £25,000 will be made available to migrants who consent to “remigrate.”
It’s also unclear why immigrants leave the country. “Making life difficult for asylum-seekers forced to leave the country” is not a good way to encourage people to leave Sweden voluntarily, according to Parusel. On the contrary, he claimed that denying them benefits and housing would result in greater social hardship.
“The trend toward manageable immigration is crucial if we want to improve integration,” stated Sternegard, the minister of marriage and immigration.
Sweden Intensifies its Efforts to Combat Organized Crime
The persistence of organized crime, however, is evidence that stricter regulations have not resolved every issue. Attributing the problem to the previous government’s “irresponsible immigration policy and a failed integration,” Prime Minister Kristersson has set out to address it.
In fact, criminal organizations that primarily rely on fraud and drug trafficking for funding have been a problem in Sweden for many years. There have been instances of bystanders being caught in the crossfire, as well as deadly shootings and bombings.