Author
When an asylum application has been rejected and the decision is final and non-appealable, there is a possibility for newly arising circumstances to be considered under the grounds of “impediments to enforcement”. Such new circumstances may give rise to a residence permit[1] or, if such a permit cannot be granted, lead to a re-examination of the initial case. However, a re-examination may only be granted if the new circumstances relate to a need for international protection.[2]
Under Chapter 12 Section 18 of the Aliens Act, the Swedish Migration Agency may grant a residence permit where “new circumstances come to light that mean that:
- there is an impediment to enforcement under [Article 3 ECHR or Article 33 of the 1951 Refugee Convention];[3]
- there is reason to assume that the intended country of return will not be willing to accept the alien; or
- there are medical or other special grounds why the order should not be enforced”.
The Swedish Migration Agency may grant a temporary residence permit, usually valid for 13 months, or order the suspension of the removal order while they examine the application. Where the impediment is of a “lasting nature”, the applicant has resided in Sweden for three years and some other criteria are also fulfilled, however, a permanent residence permit may be granted, but this is a discretionary power.[4] Decisions made pursuant to this provision cannot be appealed before the Migration Court and are final.
The Swedish Migration Agency can alone open an investigation of impediments of enforcement if new information has emerged that means the subsequent applicant cannot return home. The Swedish Migration Agency then has the possibility of granting the subsequent applicant a temporary resident permit, even if he or she has not written and informed the Swedish Migration Agency about impediments to enforcement. The police also have a responsibility to notify the Migration Agency if it is not possible to carry out the return to the country of origin.[5] In such cases, the Swedish Migration Agency shall provide instructions regarding the enforcement or take other measures. Other measures could be to grant a temporary resident permit.
The standard of proof for granting a residence permit pursuant to Chapter 12, Section 18 of the Aliens Act is high. To apply, there should be no need for investigative measures or that there could be circumstances that indicate that a residence permit should not be granted.
Conversely, Chapter 12 Section 19 of the Aliens Act deals with subsequent applications invoking new circumstances where:
- these new circumstances “can be assumed to constitute a lasting impediment to enforcement referred to in [Article 3 ECHR or Article 33 of the 1951 Refugee Convention];[6] and
- these circumstances could not previously have been invoked by the foreigner or the foreigner shows a valid excuse for not previously having invoked these circumstances”.
This requirement of providing a valid excuse or a valid reason for not presenting new circumstances at an earlier stage can in practice undermine the absolute protection of Article 3 ECHR. Cases involving a real risk of treatment mentioned in Article 3 ECHR can risk being ignored if the applicant is deemed not to have had valid reasons for not presenting the facts earlier. It is worth noting, nevertheless, that this provision of the Aliens Act is in line with the rules laid down by Article 40(4) of the recast Asylum Procedures Directive on subsequent applications.
Much-needed guidance on the interpretation of the requirement of a valid excuse was handed down by the Migration Court of Appeal on 10 April 2019.[7] The Court concluded that if it is considered that there are reasonable grounds to assume that a foreigner in the country to which expulsion has been ordered would be in danger of being punished with death or being subjected to corporal punishment, torture or other inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, it is not required that the applicant shows a valid excuse in order for a subsequent application to be admitted.
Where these two cumulative criteria are met, and if a residence permit on humanitarian grounds cannot be granted, the Swedish Migration Agency must re-examine the case. Sur place reasons such as conversion to a new religion after a final decision can be grounds for reopening the case if there is a risk of persecution in the home country. There is no limitation in the number of subsequent applications that can be submitted, insofar as new grounds for protection are presented. A fee is also not imposed when lodging subsequent applications. However, the Swedish Migration Agency has no discretion to re-examine the application where these conditions are not met.[8] Section 19 therefore concerns new grounds for international protection and not humanitarian grounds or practical problems in enforcing expulsion.
According to Chapter 12 Section 19(a) of the Aliens Act, the refusal of entry or expulsion order may not be enforced before the Swedish Migration Agency has decided on the question of whether there will be a re-examination or, if such re-examination is granted, before the question of a residence permit has been settled by a decision that has become final and non-appealable.
Decisions made either not to grant re-examination, or to refuse a subsequent application on the merits, can be appealed to the Migration Court and further to the Migration Court of Appeal. An appeal must be lodged within the normal time limit of 3 weeks following receipt of the negative decision. A separate decision to suspend the removal order must be made by the court to prevent the expulsion order from being carried out in the meantime (at the request of the applicant or ex officio). However, the first time a decision not to grant a re-examination is appealed, the appeal has automatic suspensive effect until the court decides whether to suspend the removal order. As mentioned above suspensive effect is granted to appeals against decisions to reject a subsequent application on the merits, i.e where a re-examination has been granted.
There is no free legal aid to submit a subsequent application, nor when the subsequent application is not admitted or rejected on the merits. However, if the application is admitted for re-examination by the Swedish Migration Agency – or through a stay in the expulsion order at court level if the Swedish Migration Agency’s decision is appealed – legal counsel can be appointed (see: Regular procedure: Legal Assistance). Asylum seekers can also approach NGOs for advice. However, the procedure is written and complex with statistically little chance of changing the negative decision, and applicants also have no access to free interpretation. The Swedish Refugee Law Center provides legal assistance free of charge to persons seeking to submit a subsequent application for international protection. An application is submitted on behalf of the applicant in cases where it is assessed that there are reasonable prospects for a successful outcome.[9]
In 2024, a total of 6,830 subsequent applications were submitted and the Swedish Migration Agency decided on 7,279 subsequent applications. Out of them, 1,019 subsequent applications resulted in a residence permit being granted, and 299 subsequent applications were admitted for re-examination.[10] The main countries of origin of applicants lodging a subsequent application were Iraq (729); Iran (492); Afghanistan (485); Syria (337) and stateless applicants (271).[11]
[1] Chapter 12, Section 18 Aliens Act.
[2] Chapter 12, Section 19 Aliens Act.
[3] Chapter 12, Sections 1-2 Aliens Act.
[4] Chapter 12, Section 18 – 18a Aliens Act.
[5] Ch, 12, Section 17 Aliens Act.
[6] Chapter 12, Sections 1-2 Aliens Act.
[7] Migration Court of Appeal, UM 12194-18, MIG 2019:5, 10 April 2019, available in Swedish here.
[8] Chapter 12, Section 19 Aliens Act.
[9] For more information, see here.
[10] The Swedish Migration Agency, ‘Annual Report 2024’, Dnr: 1.3.2-2025-1844, 21 February 2024, available in Swedish here, and information provided by the Migration Agency’s statistics unit.
[11] Information provided by the Migration Agency’s statistics unit.