Sweden Is Paying Illegal Immigrants $34,000 To Leave

In a significant shift in migration policy, Sweden has announced a plan to offer immigrants up to 350,000 Swedish kronor—approximately $34,000—to voluntarily return to their countries of origin starting in 2026. This move, spearheaded by Migration Minister Johan Forssell, comes as part of a broader strategy by the right-wing government, supported by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, to address integration challenges and reduce the number of migrants in the country.

4/10 Sweden’s Now Have A Foreign background

A recent report from Statistics Sweden reveals that four out of every ten people in Sweden now have a foreign background, a figure that underscores the country’s profound demographic transformation over recent decades. As of 2023, approximately 2.85 million of Sweden’s 10.5 million residents were either born abroad or have at least one parent who was, with the proportion rising steadily from 25% in 2000 to 40% today. This shift is largely attributed to significant immigration waves, particularly during the 2015 European migrant crisis when Sweden accepted a record number of asylum seekers, as well as earlier labor migration from countries like Finland and the former Yugoslavia, and more recent arrivals from conflict zones such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. While this diversity has enriched Sweden’s cultural landscape, it has also sparked debates over integration, with challenges like rising crime rates in immigrant-heavy areas and strained public services fueling political shifts, including the rise of the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats and the government’s recent push for stricter migration policies, such as the $34,000 repatriation incentive for immigrants to leave.

Paying Invaders To Leave

The policy marks a dramatic increase from the current grant of 10,000 kronor per adult and 5,000 kronor per child, with a family cap of 40,000 kronor, and reflects a growing trend across Europe where nations like Denmark, Germany, and France offer similar but smaller repatriation incentives. Sweden, once celebrated as a “humanitarian superpower” for its open-door approach to refugees, has struggled with integration, particularly following the 2015 migration crisis when it received 163,000 asylum applications—the highest per capita in Europe. The government argues that this initiative, alongside stricter asylum rules, will lead to sustainable immigration, with the Swedish Migration Agency reporting the lowest number of asylum applications since 1997 and net emigration for the first time in 50 years in 2023.

However, the policy has sparked criticism and skepticism from various quarters. Human rights organizations warn that such measures create an environment of uncertainty for migrants, potentially increasing their vulnerability to crime and reducing their chances of finding formal work, thus exacerbating social exclusion rather than resolving it. Critics, including experts like Annika Sandlund from the UN refugee agency, argue that the financial incentive—while substantial—may not significantly alter the decisions of refugees fleeing war-torn regions like Syria or Afghanistan, where returning could mean facing persecution or violence. A government-appointed inquiry also cautioned against the increase, suggesting it sends a message that migrants are unwelcome, further hindering integration efforts. Meanwhile, posts on X indicate mixed sentiments, with some migrants reportedly demanding even higher payouts—up to triple the offered amount—along with a guaranteed return pass, highlighting the complexity of addressing migration through financial incentives alone. This policy underscores a broader European trend toward stricter immigration controls, but its long-term impact on Sweden’s social fabric and migrant communities remains uncertain.