Our crime-fighting mission
The implementation of migration reforms demands both combined efforts and organisation. To support this work, the Director-General of the Swedish Migration Agency has decided on assignments in several priority areas. One of these areas is our collective work to prevent and counteract abuse, security threats, welfare fraud, and serious organised crime in accordance with the mandate from the Government.
The Swedish Migration Agency cooperates with other national authorities to prevent crime and abuse of the country's welfare systems. We participate in efforts to combat work-related crime, human trafficking, and other forms of organised crime. We cooperate with the Swedish Police Authority and the Swedish Security Service in our efforts to root out security threats and war criminals.
We are working on these issues
Organised crime
The Swedish Migration Agency is participating in the joint initiative to combat organised crime. The initiative is being led by the Swedish Police Authority and is based on a common focus and situational picture decided by the Cooperation Council, on which the authorities involved are represented by their Director-General or equivalent leader. The three focuses that guide the work are: strategic persons, actor- or phenomenon-based organised crime, and vulnerable areas.
The work is being conducted at seven regional and one national intelligence centre (dubbed RUCs and the NUC, respectively) located throughout the country.
Work-related crime
The Government has tasked the Swedish Migration Agency and eight other national authorities with developing common control methods to counteract rule violations and crime in working life. These efforts are based around the joint work-related crime centres (AKCs) and the implementation of joint work place inspections. The work is spearheaded by the Swedish Work Environment Authority. There are seven regional AKCs in Sweden. They are co-located with the regional centres against organised crime.
Human trafficking
The Swedish Migration Agency is tasked with contributing to efforts to combat human trafficking and similar crimes. This includes detecting victims of suspected human trafficking and reporting suspected crimes to the Swedish Police Authority. If the trafficked person consents, the Swedish Migration Agency can contact the Swedish Gender Equality Agency's regional coordinators to provide support to the victim. These crimes often have an international connection, and we work actively to ensure that it is not possible for our various permits to be used for criminal purposes.
The Swedish Migration Agency is part of the collaboration known as the “National Method Support against Prostitution and Human Trafficking”, along with such other actors as the Swedish Police Authority and the Swedish Prosecution Authority. The work is coordinated by the Swedish Gender Equality Agency and focuses on supporting victims of crime and counteracting the demand that drives human trafficking.
Incorrect payments
The Swedish Migration Agency cooperates with other national authorities to ensure that payments from the country’s welfare systems are correct. The Government’s mandates in this area often require collaboration between authorities. The authorities that pay out money are required by law to notify each other of suspected incorrect payments.
The resilience of authorities responsible for payments and enforcement
The Swedish Social Insurance Agency has taken the initiative to lead a cooperative effort by national authorities to counteract abuse and crime in the welfare systems. The aim is for closer, structured, and long-term cooperation between the authorities to prevent payments from being made on an incorrect basis.
Security threats
The Swedish Migration Agency is tasked with assisting the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO) in its work to prevent and detect crimes against Sweden's security, as well as in terrorism-related matters. Among other things, this means that we must be on the lookout for possible security threats in cases concerning residence permits and Swedish citizenship. We refer certain cases to SÄPO. If they deem that the individual in question poses a security threat, they issue a so-called “objection” – this means, for example, that they propose that the Swedish Migration Agency reject the application for reasons relating to Sweden’s security.
Read more about how we work to detect security threats
The Swedish Migration Agency is part of the Cooperation Council against Terrorism. This a collaboration between fifteen Swedish authorities that aims to strengthen Sweden’s ability to counteract and address terrorism. The Council plays a clear role in Sweden's national counter-terrorism strategy.
War crimes, etc.
If any suspicions of genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes arise in a case, the Swedish Migration Agency has an obligation to report this to the Swedish Police Authority or the relevant prosecutor. For this reason, the agency cooperates closely with the divisions of the police and the Prosecution Authority that investigate such crimes.