Sweden offers up to 350,000 crowns to non-EU residents to leave ahead of election
Sweden's right-wing government is paying non-EU residents up to 350,000 crowns to voluntarily depart as the September election nears.
Ahead of the September 13 national vote, Sweden's coalition government led by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson introduced a cash-for-exit program offering non-EU residents with residency permits up to 350,000 crowns to leave the country. The initiative, financed with a 1.3 billion-crown budget, has recorded 171 takers since its start in 2026 and is advertised in several languages on official websites. The Sweden Democrats, which supports the coalition in parliament, have placed bus ads aimed at Somali immigrants and are pushing to extend the offer to Swedish citizens willing to renounce their nationality.
Opposition parties and civil-rights groups condemn the policy as divisive, and migration experts argue such incentives rarely increase voluntary emigration. The scheme coincides with tighter residency rules and the rollout of mandatory citizenship tests, marking a broader turn toward stricter migration controls across Europe.
Why it matters
The plan turns migration policy into a pivotal election issue in Sweden and may set a precedent for other European nations.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTAll camps report the cash-for-exit program, its budget, number of takers and the criticism it has attracted, but left-leaning coverage stresses its divisive and symbolic nature, centrist coverage frames it as part of Sweden’s broader shift from a generous asylum system to strict migration limits, and right-leaning coverage highlights its timing before the election and portrays it as a political maneuver.
LEFT
Left-leaning coverage portrays the scheme as a divisive, symbolic incentive that targets specific immigrant groups and draws criticism from researchers and civil-rights groups.
CENTER
Center coverage presents the policy as evidence of Sweden’s dramatic turn from a historically generous asylum haven to one of Europe’s most restrictive migration regimes, noting broad political consensus on tighter rules.
RIGHT
Right-leaning coverage frames the program as an election-time political strategy, noting opposition condemnation and expert doubts about its effectiveness.
The left emphasises
- the scheme is "divisive" and largely symbolic
- bus ads target Somali immigrants
- praise from Germany's AfD contrasted with criticism from researchers and civil-rights groups
The right emphasises
- the cash-for-exit program is introduced ahead of the September 13 national election
- opposition parties and civil-rights groups condemn the policy as divisive
- migration experts argue such incentives rarely increase voluntary emigration
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