According to the Migration Agency, 272 people have applied for the grant, of whom 82 have already been refused, either because they do not have the right sort of residency permit or because they have outstanding debts.
Sweden's migration minister Johan Forssell decided last year to push ahead with the proposal to increase the grant by 3,400 percent from January 1st 2026, despite the fact that the inquiry set up to draw up the proposals recommended abandoning the idea, judging it "risky and best avoided".
"Voluntary repatriation creates opportunities for individuals to have a new start in life, and can lead to the economy and labour market growing in another country," he said in a statement.
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The inquiry chair, Joakim Ruist, had warned that increasing the grant to 350,000 kronor would only increase voluntary returns by about 700 people a year, and risked being counterproductive, by making immigrants feel unwelcome and therefore less willing to integrate.
The overwhelming majority of applicants, 170, were from Syria, perhaps unsurprisingly given the hopes many Syrians have for their country following the fall of the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad in December, 2024.
A further 15 applicants came from Iraq, 12 from Afghanistan, 8 were stateless, and 67 were from other countries.
Only 152 people applied for the much lower return grant of 10,000 kronor per adult in 2025 as a whole.
Under the new rules, families can receive a maximum grant of 600,000 kronor and underage children only receive 25,000 kronor. Of the 272 applicants, 51 were under the age of 18.
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