Money in Exchange for Departure: Sweden Strengthens Its "Re-migration" Policy

Sweden continues to tighten its immigration policy, marking a significant shift from the approach the country adopted in recent years, by offering financial incentives to some foreign-born residents to leave, as the nation prepares for the upcoming September 13 elections.

Since the beginning of 2026, the coalition government has been offering cash payments of up to 350,000 Swedish kronor, approximately $37,000, to individuals holding residence permits from outside the European Union, on the condition that they leave Sweden.

The government has allocated 1.3 billion Swedish kronor to fund this program, which enjoys strong support from the far-right Sweden Democrats party. Although not part of the governing coalition, the party provides parliamentary support to the government.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has placed what he calls “reverse migration” among his government’s priorities. Authorities are promoting the program through government websites and in several languages, aiming to inform the target groups about this option.

This trend comes against the backdrop of a profound transformation in Sweden’s immigration policy over the past decade.

After welcoming around 163,000 asylum seekers in 2015—the second-highest per capita rate in Europe at the time—the number of asylum applicants had fallen by 96 percent by 2025.

Since the current government took office in 2022, based on pledges to reduce immigration and combat crime, authorities have moved to tighten various rules related to migrants.

New measures included restricting access to permanent residency and requiring some migrants to reapply for residence permits after three years.

Last August, Sweden took another step toward stricter integration requirements by introducing mandatory citizenship tests designed to assess applicants’ knowledge of the country.

Despite the substantial financial value of the incentives offered by the government, the program has not seen widespread uptake so far. The number of people who accepted the offer has not exceeded 171 this year.

Sweden has a population of around 10.6 million, including nearly two million foreign-born residents, according to data cited by Reuters.

This trajectory reflects Sweden’s transition from a policy that was once among the most open in Europe regarding asylum and immigration to a stricter approach focused on limiting migration flows, tightening residency and citizenship requirements, and encouraging some foreign residents to return to their countries of origin.