Swedes want to prevent asylum seekers from choosing their own housing

On Friday, the Swedish government announced a plan to place all asylum seekers in reception centers for migrants while their applications are being processed. The measure represents a further tightening of immigration rules in the country.

Migration Minister Johan Forssell noted that applicants will have to prove that they have moved to the centers, otherwise they risk losing their social benefits. At the same time, they will have to agree to travel restrictions.

He emphasized that the reception centers will not be prisons, but people in the asylum system will have to live under the supervision of the Migration Agency. According to him, the current legislation, which allows applicants to choose their own housing, has led to overcrowding, social exclusion, and facilitated illegal residence in the country.

Sweden has been tightening its immigration policy gradually since 2015, when approximately 160,000 people applied for asylum in the country. The number of new applications has fallen significantly since then, reaching approximately 10,000 in 2024.

The coalition links decades of what it calls unrestricted immigration with the rise in gang crime in recent years. The new proposal provides that applicants who do not comply with the conditions set could have their applications automatically withdrawn.

In addition, people whose asylum applications have been rejected would have to register regularly to prevent them from going into hiding. The government hopes that the measures will take effect in October.

(reuters, max)