Search Results: Asylum

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Vellinge changes course to welcome refugee kids

National: 20 Nov 09
Local politicians who previously voiced their disapproval at a move to house asylum seeker children in Vellinge look set to sign an agreement to invite more children to reside in the municipality in the future. READ »

What's on in Sweden: November 20 - 26

Lifestyle: 18 Nov 09
What's on in Sweden: International film festival & Simple Minds (UK) in Stockholm; Christmas market & Takida in Gothenburg; The Sonics (US) in Malmö/Lund. READ »

500 refugee children in urgent need of housing

National: 16 Nov 09
As housing shortages for refugee children reach crisis levels, Swedish migration authorities have decided to more than double the number of municipalities assigned to receive young asylum seekers. READ »

Government mulls new law to force care for asylum kids

National: 13 Nov 09
Government parties have called for legislation to force municipalities to care for children seeking asylum amid recent protests over the housing of young refugees in Vellinge in southern Sweden. READ »

Protests over housing for refugee children

National: 12 Nov 09
A former youth hostel in Vellinge outside of Malmö in southern Sweden opened its doors on Thursday as temporary housing for refugee children, despite bitter complaints from local residents and politicians. READ »

What's on in Sweden: November 13 - 19

Lifestyle: 12 Nov 09
What's on in Sweden: International film festival & monster truck extravaganza in Stockholm; Cliff Richard & The Shadows (UK) in Gothenburg; Tower of Power (US) in Malmö/Lund. READ »

Sweden slammed for UN rights failures

National: 9 Nov 09
Sweden has come in for harsh criticism from the country's United Nations association and 15 other organizations for failing to abide by a number of UN conventions. READ »

Sweden to pay more asylum seekers to leave

National: 6 Nov 09
Sweden has decided to expand a programme which gives unsuccessful asylum seekers money to voluntarily return to their homelands, at the same time as the number of refugee applications continues to drop. READ »

Man forced to re-apply for asylum after boarding wrong train

National: 28 Oct 09
A mistake which put an Iraqi asylum seeker on the wrong train in Malmö in southern Sweden has forced him to start the asylum process all over again. READ »

Sweden does most to help world's poor: study

Politics: 22 Oct 09
Sweden has the best foreign aid policies among the world’s wealthy countries, according to a new ranking from the Center for Global Development. READ »

Anger as deportees held in solitary confinement

National: 13 Oct 09
Sweden continues to isolate asylum seekers awaiting deportation in remand centres, despite continued criticism from torture committees at the United Nations and the Council of Europe. READ »

Swedish integration policies 'a failure'

Politics: 23 Sep 09
Immigrants to Sweden continue to flock to a few, high-immigrant concentration areas, new statistics show, prompting one politician to conclude the country's integration politics have failed. READ »

'Saddam's body guard' to be deported from Sweden

National: 21 Sep 09
An Iraqi man who claimed to have worked as a bodyguard for Saddam Hussein is to be deported from Sweden despite concerns that he may be killed upon returning to Iraq. READ »

Sweden announces EU immigration reform plans

Politics: 25 Aug 09
The Swedish EU presidency announced on Monday that proposals to reform immigration policy will be presented in September. READ »

Transgender belly dancer helps launch Arab gay initiative

Lifestyle: 21 Aug 09
As a human rights group publishes details of a bloody campaign of hate being waged against gays in Iraq, Rami Abdelrahman speaks to members of a recently founded initiative for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Arabs in Sweden. READ »

UN to monitor Swedish migration board

National: 20 Aug 09
The United Nations refugee organ, the UNHCR, which is a regular critic of Swedish migration policies, plans to spend nine months closely monitoring the work of the Migration Board. READ »

Sweden refuses asylum to gay Iraqis

National: 18 Aug 09
A Swedish gay rights organisation has called on the government not to deport any homosexual Iraqi asylum seekers in the light of a shocking new report categorising an extermination campaign against gay men in the Middle Eastern country. READ »

Fewer seeking asylum in Sweden

National: 16 Aug 09
The number of foreigners seeking asylum in Sweden has fallen by 17 percent in the first half of 2009, compared to the same period last year. READ »

Afghan teens in Swedish asylum limbo

National: 29 Jul 09
A wave of teenage Afghan refugees has arrived in Malmö and other Swedish cities in recent weeks. Many remain in limbo as most Swedish municipalities refuse to accept them. READ »

'Missing' footballers prompt new entry rules

Society: 21 Jul 09
The disappearance of five Tanzanian youth footballers has prompted the Swedish Migration Board to tighten entry requirements for non-Europeans playing in the Gothia Cup. READ »

Migration Board bans 'racist' lawyer

National: 15 Jul 09
An asylum lawyer from Skåne in southern Sweden has been blacklisted by the country’s migration authorities following revelations about his personal blog on which he referred to Islam as a “psychosocial disease”. READ »

EU mulls visas for Canadian tourists

Politics: 15 Jul 09
Speaking for the European Union presidency, Swedish migration minister Tobias Billström said on Wednesday that the EU supported requiring visas for Canadians travelling to the EU in the wake of a Czech-Canada visa spat. READ »

EU's Stockholm Programme to 'bolster individual privacy rights'

Analysis & Opinion: 15 Jul 09
As European Union ministers gather in Stockholm on Wednesday Swedish ministers Beatrice Ask and Tobias Billström explain the EU’s efforts to promote cross-border cooperation in the areas of justice, home affairs, and migration. READ »

Economic crisis and climate top Swedish EU priorities

Analysis & Opinion: 30 Jun 09
The global economic crisis, soaring unemployment in Europe and climate change top Sweden's agenda as it takes over the European Union six-month presidency in difficult conditions on Wednesday, writes AFP's Francois Campredon READ »

Migration agency used anti-Muslim lawyer

National: 24 Jun 09
A lawyer contracted by the Swedish Migration Board to represent asylum seekers has a personal blog in which he refers to Islam as a “psychosocial disease”. READ »

Fury over ailing man's botched deportation

National: 4 Jun 09
Swedish migration authorities have come in for scathing criticism following a decision to deport a man so ill with Parkinson’s disease that his home country of Nigeria refused to grant him entry. READ »

Migration Board slams refugee housing plan

National: 3 Jun 09
The head of Sweden’s Migration Board has slammed a proposal that would cut benefits for asylum seekers who refuse to live in housing set aside for those waiting to have their claims heard. READ »

Amnesty slams Sweden over refugee policies

National: 28 May 09
Shortcomings in Sweden’s refugee policies and the country’s dismal record at bringing reported rapes to trial have come in for criticism by Amnesty International in its 2008 annual report. READ »

UN slams Sweden for child rights failure

National: 27 May 09
Sweden continues to shirk its obligations guaranteeing children the right to education, according to a United Nations committee. READ »

Sweden offers asylum to Iraqi who aided US military

National: 23 May 09
An Iraqi man who assisted the United States military during the war in Iraq has been granted asylum in Sweden. READ »

Is rape rampant in gender-equal Sweden?

Analysis & Opinion: 11 May 09
A recent European Commission report identifying Sweden as the rape capital of Europe should be treated with a healthy dose of scepticism, argues sociologist Laura Agustín. READ »

Flow of asylum seekers to Sweden expected to drop: agency

Society: 8 May 09
Sweden’s Migration Boarddoesn’t forecast a rise in the number of asylum seekers coming to the country, but instead expects more relatives of existing refugees to seek residency in Sweden. READ »

Sweden spied on CIA 'terror flights': report

National: 24 Apr 09
The government led by former Prime Minister Göran Persson knew that Sweden was used as a transit destination for clandestine CIA flights transporting suspected terrorists, according to reports that emerged on Friday. READ »

Russia parody Tingeling tops charts for fourth week

Society: 17 Apr 09
A song labelled "disgusting" by the Russian Embassy in Stockholm remain on top of the Swedish pop charts for the fourth week in succession. READ »

Asylum seeker sets himself alight

National: 4 Apr 09
A man who had his application for asylum rejected has sustained serious injuries after setting himself alight in a Migration Board centre in Alvesta in central Sweden. READ »

Asylum seekers buy fake adresses

National: 29 Mar 09
Asylum seekers from Latin America are buying fake residential addresses from a network in Stockholm in order to secure temporary work permits. READ »

Sharp drop in asylum applications to Sweden

National: 20 Mar 09
Fewer people are seeking asylum in Sweden, with the number of applications dropping 33 percent last year, according to new statistics. READ »

Migration Board worker charged with bribery

National: 19 Mar 09
An employee with Sweden’s Migration Board has been charged with bribery after requesting 40,000 kronor ($4,920) to arrange a residence permit for an asylum seeker from Afghanistan. READ »

Liberal Party looking to reduce Migration Board's influence

Politics: 18 Mar 09
A working group within the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet) wants to strip the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) of its power to appoint legal representatives to asylum seekers. READ »

Inconsistent rulings frustrate Somali asylum seekers

National: 17 Mar 09
The fate of Somalis seeking asylum in Sweden depends a great deal which court hears their case. READ »

Russian disgust over Sweden Eurovision skit

Society: 16 Mar 09
The Russian embassy in Stockholm has launched a scathing critique of Sveriges Television (SVT) for what it sees as a “disgusting” portrayal of Russia during the weekend’s Melodifestivalen finals. READ »

Swedish court grants asylum to ex-Guantanamo prisoner

National: 18 Feb 09
A Swedish court has overturned a deportation order for a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner from China. READ »

Sweden's annual immigrant tally hit six figures in 2008

Society: 18 Feb 09
More than 100,000 people emigrated to Sweden in 2008, marking the first time the country’s annual immigrant count hit six figures, according to new statistics. READ »

Moderates want tougher immigration rules

Politics: 17 Feb 09
Naturalized Swedes who received their citizenship under false pretenses could have their Swedish passports revoked, according Migration Minister Tobias Billström. READ »

Frosty reception for vulnerable refugees

Society: 12 Feb 09
The unwillingness of Swedish municipalties to take in refugees who are traumatised or disabled has been described by the head of the Migration Board as "a major problem". READ »

Six men flee Migration Board detention centres

National: 26 Jan 09
A total of six men escaped from detention centres run by Sweden’s Migration Board on Sunday evening in two separate incidents. READ »

Health board slams refugee medical clinic

Science & Technology: 23 Jan 09
Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare has directed a scathing critique against a medical centre for asylum seekers in Stockholm County. READ »

More Iraqis at risk of losing asylum appeals in Sweden

Politics: 14 Jan 09
Most of the thousands of Iraqis waiting for asylum in Sweden will likely have their applications rejected because of improved security conditions in the country. READ »

Skilled workers set sights on Sweden

National: 13 Jan 09
IT consultants dominate the ranks of people applying for work permits in Sweden under new legislation passed in December, according to new figures from the Swedish Migration Board. READ »

2008: The year in review

Lifestyle: 31 Dec 08
As 2008 draws to a close, The Local takes a look back at some of the stories that caught our attention over the last twelve months. READ »

Migration Board pays off pro-Israel employee

National: 29 Dec 08
Sweden's Migration Board has elected to pay over a million kronor in compensation to a demoted employee who maintained a pro-Israeli blog instead of following a court order to reinstate him. READ »

'Relax restrictions' for asylum seekers with Swedish kids

Society: 19 Dec 08
Sweden's Migration Minister Tobias Billström has vowed to ease residency restrictions for asylum seekers who have started families with Swedish partners. READ »

Sweden to prioritize deportations in 2009

Politics: 17 Dec 08
Swedish police are mulling chartering special planes in anticipation of the government’s wishes to step up the pace of deportations of the thousands of unsuccessful asylum seekers estimated to be in the country. READ »

Refugee advocate is 'Swede of the Year'

National: 11 Dec 08
Anita Dorazio, a 72-year-old advocate who pioneered health clinics for refugees in hiding, has been named Swede of the Year for 2008 by the weekly news magazine Fokus. READ »

Refugees adapt better when they decide where to live

National: 11 Dec 08
Refugees who choose where they want to live are able to adapt to Swedish society more quickly than those who are assigned housing by the Swedish Migration Board, a new study finds. READ »

New demands for immigrant families

National: 27 Nov 08
Before bringing their families to Sweden, newly arrived immigrants must first demonstrate they have housing and disposable income, according to a new proposal. READ »

Swedes caught up in Thai unrest

National: 26 Nov 08
Hundreds of Swedes are among those stranded in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport after violent anti-government protesters stormed the building on Tuesday, forcing authorities to shut down operations. READ »

Moderates: 'Immigrants should sign Swedish contract'

Politics: 23 Nov 08
Immigrants to Sweden should sign a contract to testify familiarity with Swedish laws, rules and values. If the contract is not met then their benefits should be reviewed, the Moderate party has proposed. READ »

Migration Board sets new principle in Congo ruling

National: 22 Nov 08
The Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) has established a new guiding principle in awarding residency to a woman from war-torn DR Congo. READ »

Woman collapses after self-immolation threat

National: 21 Nov 08
A woman threatened to set herself on fire outside the County Court in central Gothenburg on Friday after she had her asylum application rejected. READ »

Indonesian girl, 16, missing in Sweden

Society: 17 Nov 08
Police have issued a nationwide alert for a 16-year-old Indonesian refugee who has been missing since Saturday afternoon. READ »

Sweden approves new labour immigration law

Society: 12 Nov 08
Sweden's parliament has pushed through legislation that will make it easier for non-EU citizens to come to the country to work. READ »

Migration Board to blacklist ineffectual asylum lawyers

National: 12 Nov 08
The Migration Board has begun blacklisting attorneys the agency deems unfit for handling the cases of asylum seekers in Sweden. READ »

Asylum seekers 'should live near jobs'

Politics: 4 Nov 08
A Moderate Party working group has proposed withdrawing economic support for asylum seekers in Sweden who choose to live in municipalities where they can’t support themselves. READ »

Iraqis go underground in greater numbers

National: 2 Nov 08
The number of Iraqi asylum seekers going into hiding has increased seven-fold since 2006. A ruling by the Migration Court that Iraq is not in a state of civil war has made it harder for Iraqis to gain asylum. READ »

Migration Board: 'Hamas is a liberation movement'

Politics: 25 Oct 08
A Swedish Migration Board employee sued his employers alleging that he was demoted due to his pro-Israel political views. The board's counsel in the hearing has courted controversy by calling Hamas 'a liberation movement.' READ »

Migration Board seeks consultant help

Politics: 19 Oct 08
The Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) has failed in its goal of a maximum six month wait for asylum applications and has sought the help of management consultancy McKinsey. READ »

Fewer Iraqi children granted asylum

National: 5 Oct 08
Migrationsverket (Swedish Migration Board) has turned down 111 of 297 residence permit applications for Iraqi children, marking a sharp increase from two years ago. READ »

What's on in Sweden: October 3 - October 9

Lifestyle: 2 Oct 08
What’s on: NHL hockey, Open tennis and Aussie comedy in Stockholm; Ane Brun in Gothenburg; Steve Wynn and naked Jesus shock in Malmö. READ »

Labour migrants set sights on Sweden

Politics: 10 Sep 08
The Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) estimates that 37,000 labour migrants from countries outside the European Union (EU) will seek work permits in Sweden next year. READ »

Deportation fears delayed abuse report

National: 10 Sep 08
The fears of a refugee family in hiding provide at least a partial explanation of how a 58-year-old man managed to hold a woman captive in a cabin in south central Sweden for nine years without detection. READ »

Moderates reject 'misguided benevolence' for immigrants

National: 26 Aug 08
Sweden's Moderates want to see a tougher line on asylum seekers. Government reforms are positive, but employment should be a priority, a parliamentary group argues. READ »

Failed asylum seekers going underground

Politics: 25 Aug 08
More unsuccessful asylum seekers are going into hiding in Sweden, new figures from the Migration Board show. Tighter rules permitting authorities to send back more refugees from war-torn countries are given the blame. READ »

Iraqis in suspected repatriation grant racket

Society: 19 Aug 08
A financial incentive scheme encouraging asylum seekers to return to their homelands has been abused by hundreds of Iraqi refugees, Swedish authorities believe. READ »

Defence Minister: 'FRA doesn’t monitor individual Swedes'

Analysis & Opinion: 30 Jul 08
In explaining the importance of Sweden's new surveillance law, Minister of Defence Sten Tolgfors argues that signals intelligence activities on cable-bound communications is no greater an invasion of privacy than monitoring the airwaves. READ »

Surveillance law vote ‘betrayed tenets of a democratic state’

Analysis & Opinion: 22 Jul 08
Bangladeshi refugee and writer Tasneem Khalil explains why the Riksdag's vote in favour of the surveillance law has him feeling let down by the country to which he fled to escape state-sanctioned domestic spying. READ »

More under-age Afghan refugees coming to Sweden

Society: 20 Jul 08
The number of under-age Afghan refugees seeking asylum in Sweden without their parents has gone up significantly within the last two years. READ »

Sweden's welfare programmes hinder Iraqi integration

Analysis & Opinion: 15 Jul 08
By emphasizing welfare programmes over work and entrepreneurship, Sweden makes it harder for Iraqi immigrants to achieve success in their new country, argues Nima Sanandaji of the Captus think tank. READ »

Steep drop in Iraqi asylum claims

National: 14 Jul 08
The number of Iraqi asylum requests in Sweden plunged by half in the first six months of 2008, due primarily to stricter asylum criteria, the Swedish Migration Board said on Monday. READ »

The hidden lives of Sweden’s undocumented migrants

Analysis & Opinion: 9 Jul 08
Sweden has taken in thousands of asylum seekers in recent year. But not all have had their applications accepted. Faisal Enayat Khan describes his encounters with just a handful of Sweden's estimated 15,000 undocumented migrants. READ »