Return - IOM Publications - International Organization for Migration

2. ASSISTED VOLUNTARY RETURN
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SWEDEN
2.1 POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND PROVISIONS
Swedish policies on voluntary return began to evolve in the late 1980s in response to the influx
of migrants from conflict-ridden states. The impetus of return migration policies in the 1980s
was the government Bill 1988/89:100, and by the mid-1990s, measures for return and voluntary
repatriation had been incorporated into migration policies, with the adoption of the government
Bill 1996/97:25 – Swedish Migration Policy in a Global Perspective (Svensk migrationspolitik i
ett globalt perspektiv).
This Bill emphasized the need for a comprehensive and well-planned voluntary return programme,
and highlighted the importance of NGOs in implementing such programmes.
In this respect, the then Swedish Immigration Board (SMB) 11 continued to work in close cooperation
with immigrant communities in Sweden, as well as concerned organizations such as
UNHCR, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), IOM, the Swedish
Association of Local Authorities, various non-governmental organizations and other representatives
of Swedish society. Some SEK 5 million were granted to prepare the returns of Bosnian
refugees in fiscal year 1997.
The funds were used for special projects and support to voluntary and other organizations for the
administration of preparatory programmes and information to refugees in Sweden.
On 1 May 1997, a temporary ordinance was passed to allow certain asylum seekers, whose
applications for residence permits had been rejected, to receive allowances to facilitate their
return. Under certain conditions, repatriation allowance can be given to persons who have been
unable to return to their home country for reasons beyond their control, and this allowance is
often granted to nationals of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Since the late 1990s, voluntary return migration has been actively encouraged and a number of
initiatives implemented to facilitate this. Structural changes within the government agencies
dealing with migration included the transfer, in 1999, of responsibility for implementing the
return policy to the Swedish Migration Board.
The aim of this move was to change the nature of returns and place the emphasis on voluntary
departure. Indeed, the Migration Board only implements returns that are voluntary, which in the
Swedish context refers to the agreement of the individual to comply with the obligation to leave
the country, so that the removal process does not involve the use of force. This approach is in
line with the Board’s modus operandi that all returns have to be conducted in a humane and
dignified manner.
To better facilitate humane and dignified returns, the Migration Board has also implemented a
number of assisted voluntary return programmes in cooperation with national and international
refugee actors, and also implemented regional return programmes with Denmark and Norway.