Those who cannot stay: Implementing return policy in Sweden
Why is the difference between policy goal and turn-out so striking with regards to return policy in Sweden?
To return rejected asylum seekers to their country of origin has become a topical issue in the Swedish public debate, a result of the past couple of years’ large increase in asylum applications. Yet, research covering this area is scarce, and few academic studies have examined return from a perspective of governance and implementation.
The report draws on interviews with representatives from the Swedish Migration Agency, the Police, as well as other public agencies and civil society organizations. In addition, a wealth of official government reports and internal documents have been examined.
Policy recommendations suggested in the report include:
- Identifying and handling conflicting objectives in the field of return.
- Focusing on return right at the beginning of the asylum process.
- Viewing return as an integrated part of migration policy.
- Utilizing existing research as well as encouraging new studies on return and policy implementation, from different perspectives and using different methods
- Assuring consistency in policy design.
Those who were sent back: Return and Reintegration to Afghanistan and Iraq
A second part of the return series is a study about the returnees’ own experiences of voluntary and involuntary return, their reintegration process in the country of origin and the support structures that are available to them. The project is financed by the European Union Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).
The goal of the project is to contribute to a more legally certain, effective, and humane return of third-country nationals, with better knowledge about return migration and reintegration. The study intends to identify the main challenges in relation to the existing support structures. The results intend to clarify the strengths and weaknesses in the cooperation between the actors who work with return and reintegration.