Law on accommodation for asylum seekers to be changed in two stages
On 29 January, the Riksdag decided on a legislative change under Bill 1 “New arrangement for asylum seekers’ accommodation”. The legislative change will take place in two stages. The first stage will be introduced on 1 March and will affect new asylum seekers, and the second stage will be introduced on 1 September and will affect all asylum seekers living in their own accommodation. The reason is that the government wants to create a new arrangement for asylum seekers' accommodation, where the starting point is that asylum seekers will live at the Migration Agency's reception or return centres
The law is to be changed in two stages.
Changes for new asylum seekers from 1 March
As of 1 March, all new asylum seekers will be assigned a place in one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s asylum accommodation centres. The main rule is that all persons seeking asylum in Sweden are to live in an asylum accommodation centre. If an asylum seeker does not move into the assigned place, he or she cannot receive financial assistance in the form of daily allowance and a special grant. Exceptions may be made for persons living with a close family member or if there are special reasons, but the exceptions shall be applied restrictively.
Changes from 1 September for all asylum seekers
As of 1 September, the new rules will also apply to people who applied for asylum before 1 March 2025 and are registered in the reception system in their own accommodation. This means that the Swedish Migration Agency will assign all asylum seekers who live in their own accommodation a place at one of the authority’s asylum accommodation centres. If an asylum seeker does not move to the allocated placement, the right to financial assistance will normally end.
The change also means that the Swedish Migration Agency may consider an asylum application as withdrawn if the applicant does not inform the Swedish Migration Agency of where he/she lives. This applies to asylum seekers who do not live in the Swedish Migration Agency's accommodation centres.
Read more about the decision on the Swedish Parliament’s website
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