Sweden Pays Immigrants to Leave Ahead of September Election

Sweden’s reputation as a humanitarian haven shifted after the 2015 refugee surge, which brought more than 160,000 asylum applications—about 12 % of all EU filings that year. The influx prompted a cross-party agreement to tighten asylum, family-reunification and residence rules, followed by temporary border controls and the replacement of permanent permits with temporary ones. After the 2022 election, a centre-right coalition led by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson entered office with parliamentary support from the Sweden Democrats under the “Tidö Agreement,” giving the party substantial influence over migration policy.

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Since the start of 2026, the coalition government has offered foreign-born residents who hold non-EU residency permits up to 350,000 Swedish crowns (? $37,000) to voluntarily leave Sweden. The programme, promoted in multiple languages on government websites and on bus adverts funded by the Sweden Democrats, is framed as a “remigration grant.” The scheme’s budget is 1.3 billion Swedish crowns.

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• 171 individuals have accepted the cash offer in 2026.

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• Sweden’s foreign-born population stands at 2 million of a total 10.6 million residents.

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• First-time asylum applications have fallen from ? 163,000 in 2015 to ? 6,700 in 2025, with an approval rate of 23 %. Projections anticipate ? 4,200 applications in 2026.

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Migration Minister Johan Forssell defended recent citizenship tests, calling the requirements “highly reasonable” and arguing that prior naturalisation had proceeded without any knowledge of Swedish language or civic facts.

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• Bram Frouws, director of the Mixed Migration Centre, called the cash scheme “mainly symbolic” and argued there is no evidence it boosts voluntary emigration.

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• Opposition parties and civil-rights groups have labeled the policy “divisive” and warned it could exacerbate anxiety among Sweden’s Muslim community.

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• Mahmoud Khalfi, imam at Stockholm’s largest mosque, noted that while highly educated migrants might relocate to places like London or Dubai, less-educated residents have “no choice, they can’t leave.”

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• The government reports 171 participants, yet Sweden Democrats cite “large numbers” of potential participants, especially if the offer were extended to citizens who agree to renounce Swedish citizenship (as suggested by Ludvig Aspling, immigration spokesperson). No independent data confirm how many citizens might qualify.

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• No longitudinal study has been presented to assess whether the cash incentive reduces overall migration flows or merely creates a symbolic political signal.

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• “That's where you find the large numbers,” — Ludvig Aspling, immigration spokesperson for the party

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• “I want freedom, to be able to work and live a good life,” — Elena Ibrahim

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• “Sweden is a very good place.” — Migration Minister Johan Forssell

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The cash-remigration programme will be evaluated as part of the broader migration debate in the September 13 general election. Voters will decide whether the coalition’s restrictive approach, including the cash incentive, will continue under a new government.

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