The reception and settlement of newly arrived persons
The County Administrative Board, the Swedish Migration Agency, Arbetsförmedlingen, and the municipalities share the responsibility for the reception and settlement of newly arrived persons.
All newly arrived persons should, based on their own needs, receive professional support in order to be able to learn Swedish, start working and support themselves as soon as possible.
Regional cooperation between municipalities, authorities and other relevant actors is important while planning, organising and implementing various efforts for newly arrived refugees. We work to both promote municipal preparedness and capacity to receive newly arrived refugees and to support the municipalities in their planning efforts. Also, we follow up on the municipalities’ reception capacity and preparedness as well as on how efforts for newly arrived persons are organised and implemented at both local and regional levels.
Accommodation of newly arrived persons
To improve the establishment of newly arrived individuals in the labour market, all municipalities are compelled to receive a portion of newly arrived individuals that have been granted a residence permit. The Swedish Migration Agency is responsible for the settlement assignment. Quota refugees and individuals with a residence permit, who are staying in one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s accommodations, are included in the settlement assignment.
In addition to receiving newly arrived persons that are assigned to the municipalities, many other newly arrived decide to move to the municipalities on their own. The municipalities are responsible for their own housing supply and have an obligation to plan and create prerequisites for good housing for all their residents.
The County Administrative Board decide on the municipal number
The number of newly arrived persons that each municipality is compelled to accommodate, is guided by the County Administrative Municipal Number. In turn, the municipal numbers are guided by the Government’s decision on County Numbers for each county, that is, the number of newly arrived assigned to each county during the year.
The number of newly arrived individuals, assigned to each municipality, depends on:
- the size of the municipality
- the situation on the labour market
- the combined reception of newly arrived individuals and unaccompanied children
- the number of asylum seekers already residing in the municipality.
County and Municipal Numbers for 2023
Pdf, 113.3 kB.
Who does the Residence Act apply to?
The law applies to quota refugees and newly arrived persons who have been granted a residence permit as refugees or as alternatively in need of protection, as well as relatives of these persons. The target group for assignment to the municipalities are only quota refugees and newly arrived persons who have been granted a residence permit as refugees or in need of protection, and who are in the Migration Agency's facilities.
Grants
The County Administrative Boards distribute grants to municipalities or municipal associations for efforts that create preparedness or a sufficient reception capacity for newly arrived persons, and to develop the cooperation between municipalities and between municipalities and other actors with the purpose of enabling settlement in society.
Developing activities with refugee guides and family contacts