Author
There are no restrictions in law or practice to the freedom of movement of asylum seekers within Sweden. However, if accommodation is requested from the Swedish Migration Agency, asylum seekers are not free to choose their place of residence.[1] A person may be entitled to accommodation that is adapted to special needs if the person is in a particularly vulnerable situation. If a person has special needs regarding their living situation the person is requested to talk to their reception unit as soon as possible.[2] The assignment to a place of residence is not made on the basis of a formal administrative decision. Asylum seekers are in many cases forced to relocate to reception centres in other cities.[3]
On 14 October 2022 the newly elected Swedish Government announced that it intended to introduce transit centres where asylum seekers would spend the entire asylum process. In October 2024 the conclusions of a public inquiry were published, and it was suggested that the freedom of movement of asylum seekers should be restricted. In particular, it proposed that all asylum seekers would need to regularly report to the Swedish Migration Agency to prove that they were living in the accommodation centre where they were assigned a place.[4] They would also need to stay in the area where the centre is located. Exceptions could be made, making it possible not to register one’s presence at the centre and to leave the designated area without risk for sanctions (e.g., the cut of daily allowance). The mentioned restrictions are based on article 7 and 8 of the new Reception Conditions Directive (2024/1346). When there’s a risk for absconding or due to considerations of public order, further restrictions could be made, based on article 9 of the Directive. The changes are proposed to enter into force in October 2026. The proposed restrictions of the freedom of movement of asylum seekers have meet severe criticism from civil society organisation that find them unproportionate.
In 2023, the Migration Agency introduced a new kind of departure centres (återvändandecenter). The centres now have about 1,400 places in total, and are situated in Burlöv, Märsta, Malmö, Mölndal and Stockholm.[5] Only persons that are still in the reception system can stay in a departure centre, which means that, in practice, it is mainly families with minor children that are entitled to a place in a departure centre for longer periods. Others lose their right to stay in such facilities as their deportation order becomes final or, if a period for voluntary departure is granted, this expires. The departure centres are not locked facilities; they may however have an impact on the freedom of movement. This is due to the fact that a person that is offered a place at a departure centre is no longer allowed to remain in the previous accommodation provided by the Migration Agency, meaning they either have to move to a departure centre or arrange accommodation on their own.[6]
[1] The Swedish Migration Agency, ‘Accomodation with the Migration Agency’, available here.
[2] The Swedish Migration Agency, ‘Accomodation with the Migration Agency’, available here.
[3] The Swedish Migration Agency, ‘Accomodation with the Migration Agency’, available here.
[4] Mottagandelagen. En ny lag för ordnat asylmottagande och effektivt återvändande (SOU 2024:68), available in Swedish here.
[5] The Swedish Migration Agency, Annual Report 2024, Dnr: 1.3.2-2025-1844, available in Swedish here.
[6] The Swedish Migration Agency, Information about departure centres, available in Swedish here.