Sweden announced Thursday that it will increase financial incentives to up to USD 34,000 for immigrants who choose to return to their countries of origin, according to a report from Barrons.
The new policy will take effect in 2026 and will target immigrants who voluntarily leave Sweden.
Migration Minister Johan Forssell outlined the government’s plan during a press conference, saying that his country is “in the midst of a paradigm shift” in migration policy.
The initiative represents a dramatic increase from the current grant system, which provides up to USD 975 per adult and USD 487 per child, with a maximum of USD 3,906 per family.
The current grant program, which has been in place since 1984, has seen limited uptake due to its modest size and low public awareness.
Ludvig Aspling of the Sweden Democrats, a key supporter of the new policy, was quoted by the Barrons as saying: “The grant has been around since 1984, but it is relatively unknown, it is small, and relatively few people use it.”
Aspling believes that increasing the grant amount and raising awareness will encourage more immigrants to take advantage of the offer.
Since the 1990s, Sweden has welcomed a large number of migrants from conflict-ridden regions including the former Yugoslavia, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, and Iraq.