Swedish Govt Intensifies Efforts To Track ‘Refugees’ Holidaying In Home Countries

Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,

The Swedish government has tasked multiple authorities with mapping instances of refugees traveling to their home countries, a practice Migration Minister Johan Forssell described as undermining the integrity of the asylum system.

The initiative, led by the Swedish Migration Agency in collaboration with the police and Swedish embassies, seeks to strengthen the enforcement of residency and protection status regulations amid concerns that many of those claiming asylum in the Scandinavian country are returning to their country of origin for holidays.

“If you have asylum because you fled a country, it is strange if you travel back to that country. It could mean there are no longer grounds for protection or that false information was given,” said Forssell.

While the Migration Agency already has the authority to revoke permits in such cases, the new assignment aims to improve information-sharing and establish clearer procedures.

The results of this effort are expected to be reported to the government by next summer.

The debate intensified after a 2022 survey by Novus, commissioned by the Bulletin online newspaper, revealed that 79 percent of refugees in Sweden had vacationed in their countries of origin.

Former Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard previously raised concerns over cases where individuals traveled back shortly after receiving asylum.

In Sweden, there are no restrictions for refugees who have been granted a permanent residence permit to travel back to their home country.

However, refugee status can be revoked if it turns out that the person no longer needs international protection.

Forssell acknowledged the possibility of revising the rules, such as the four-year period that makes the revocation of a residence permit more challenging.

While noting there were no immediate plans for legislative changes, he refused to “rule it out” in the future.

“This is about protecting the legitimacy of the asylum system and ensuring fairness,” Forssell emphasized.

Read more here…