Ulf Kristersson leads Swedish government initiative offering cash incentives for foreign-born residents to leave the country

The initiative, which has a budget of 1.3 billion Swedish crowns, aims to reduce the number of foreign-born residents in a country where the number of asylum seekers has fallen by 96 per cent since 2015. While the Sweden Democrats support the scheme, the Social Democrats have proposed an accelerated review of residence permit rules to prevent the deportation of people who have spent most of their lives in Sweden. Ida Karkiainen, the Social Democrats' migration spokesperson, argued that it is unfair to deport individuals who have spent most of their lives in Sweden, such as teenagers and young people who have turned 18 or 21. The government has also introduced mandatory citizenship tests for all applicants to ensure they know the country's history and culture. Migration Minister Johan Forssell stated that these tests are reasonable requirements for those seeking to become a citizen.