The Swedish refugee quota

Transcription

1 The Swedish refugee quota

2 Resettlement of refugees in Sweden They are often called quota refugees but many prefer the label UN refugees. It also happens consciously or unconsciously that they are wrongly called real refugees in opposition to those who came to Sweden and sought asylum on their own. This is a matter of the approximately 1,900 people taken as part of the annual Swedish refugee quota and who have their residence permit prepared before entry. When Abdi Mohamed and his daughter Habon with little Abdihakim in her arms stood outside Arlanda s international terminal, they already had a long journey behind them. It began in the world s largest refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya, where the entire family lived as refugees for several years, unable to return to Somalia and unable to settle down permanently in KenUNHCR, the UN s refugee commission, is responsible for the camp in Kenya, and it is UNHCR that judged that the Abdi family needed a new home country and proposed that Sweden take them in. Since the Swedish Migration Board also examined whether the family s reasons for being refugees and needing protection fell within the boundaries of the Swedish Aliens Act, they were granted a permanent residence permit and were allowed to travel to Sweden. So one day, the Abdi family climbed aboard a bus that would take them to their new hometown in northern Sweden. They are quota refugees they were taken in under the refugee quota. They are UN refugees they were chosen and presented by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. They are either refugees or other persons in need of protection, in the words of the Aliens Act. They are no more and no less real refugees than asylum seekers who obtained residence permits for the same reasons. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has a regional office in Stockholm that works with asylum and refugee issues in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries. The work includes providing general information on resettlement, and on such things as the grounds on which the organisation judges that certain refugees should be offered a new home country. The regional office, however, cannot accept applications to be selected for resettlement. PHOTO:UNHCR/N.BOSE An emotional farewell in Salloum on the border between Libya and Egypt, where the first quota refugees, selected in May 2011, begin their journey to Sweden. 2 THE SWEDISH REFUGEE QUOTA

3 THREE CATEGORIES OF PEOPLE REQUIRING PROTECTION IN THE ALIENS ACT The Swedish Aliens Act contains three categories of people requiring protection. Refugees are those who, according to the definition in the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, have well-founded reason to fear persecution because of their political or religious convictions; owing to their race, gender, nationality, or sexual orientation; or because they are a member of a certain ethnic group. Persons eligible for subsidiary protection are those threatened with execution, torture, or other humiliation or who run a serious risk as a civilian of being injured owing to armed conflict. Other people requiring protection are those who need protection from armed conflict, other severe conflicts in their country of origin, or severe violence; or who cannot return home owing to environmental catastrophe. DEFINITION OF REFUGEE Article 1 in the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees defines a refugee as a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear... unwilling to return to it... PHOTO: SWEDISH MIGRATION BOARD/W.SAMUELSSON After a long journey from a refugee camp in Kenya, Abdi Mohamed waits with his daughter Habon and grandson Abdihakim for the bus that will take them from Arlanda to their new home in northern Sweden. THE SWEDISH REFUGEE QUOTA 3

4 PHOTO: UNHCR/E.HOCKSTEIN Sweden has taken in quota refugees from the world s largest refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya for several years The most needy are offered a new home country Only a handful of the world s refugees become what are known as quota refugees, and 1,900 of them every year are given the opportunity to come to Sweden. UNHCR examines them and judges which of them are in need of a quota slot. No one can apply on their own for a slot in the Swedish refugee quota. UNHCR s task of protecting and helping refugees also includes finding long-term solutions for them. For some, voluntary return to their country of origin is the best alternative, while others may be given the right to stay and live in the country where they are located. For those who can neither return nor find a future where they are, resettlement in a new country could be the only remaining solution. UNHCR examines and judges which refugees this applies to. A refugee who wants to draw UNHCR attention to his or her vulnerable situation can approach UNHCR, or any of the organisation s collaboration partners, in the country where he or she is located. YEARLY SWEDISH REFUGEE QUOTA It is for these refugees that UNHCR appeals to more fortunate countries to draw up quotas set aside for resettlement, preferably yearly. Sweden is one of the approximately 25 countries in the world that makes a yearly refugee quota available to UNHCR. The budget that the Riksdag establishes years in advance is calculated to cover selecting, preparing, and transferring approximately 1,900 quota refugees. Which groups of refugees are to be taken from different countries, and how large those groups 4 THE SWEDISH REFUGEE QUOTA

5 PHOTO: SWEDISH MIGRATION BOARD/ANGRE A delegation with representatives from the Swedish Migration Board, Ulricehamn Municipality, and the Swedish Public Employment Service in Helsingborg talk about life in Sweden for refugee selected under the quota in Al Hol, Syria. are, is decided by the Migration Board following proposals from UNHCR. The Board is also charged by the Government with examining whether the refugees UNHCR chooses to present meet the definitions of the Swedish Aliens Act. In half of the cases, the Board bases its evaluation of the reasons for being a refugee or for requiring protection on UNHCR s written data. In the rest of the cases, the written data is supplemented with personal interviews prior to the decision. Delegations from the Board then travel to the country where the refugees are waiting. Often they go to camps in Africa and Asia, but increasing numbers of refugees are also in large cities like Tehran, Khartoum, Damascus, or Cairo. HOUSING IN A MUNICIPALITY IS READY BEFORE THE TRIP The refugees who are granted residence permits must then wait for a Swedish municipality to offer them residence and acceptance before the Migration Board can start planning for their trip. The Board s settlement administrators search for suitable places among the municipalities that have agreements on accepting refugees; this is not always easy. Sometimes there are no large apartments for large families, but more often there are no small apartments for refugees coming alone. When it s clear which municipality the refugee will move to, all the practical questions of arranging an exit permit, passport and travel documents, and tickets remain. The Swedish ambassador plays an important role in this work, as does the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is tasked by the Migration Board with arranging refugees journeys. PREPARATORY PROGRAMME, IF POSSIBLE When it is possible to gather together large groups of quota refugees, the Swedish Migration Board can offer those selected under the quota a preparatory programme. Employees from the Board and civil servants from the various municipalities receiving the refugees travel to the country where the refugee groups are located to carry out what s called a Sweden programme over 2 or 3 days. THE SWEDISH REFUGEE QUOTA 5

6 RESETTLEMENT OF QUOTA REFUGEES IN SWEDEN Sweden is one of over 25 countries that offers UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, a yearly refugee quota. Every year, approximately 1,900 refugees living in insecurity and with no chance of returning home are given the opportunity to resettle in Sweden. YEARLY REFUGEE QUOTA Riksdagen, the Swedish Parliament, decides annually how much money Sweden will set aside to resettle quota refugees. The Swedish Migration Board is subsequently instructed by the Government to select and transfer refugees on the proposal of UNHCR. 2 SELECTION UNHCR proposes in writing which persons are to be examined for resettlement in Sweden. The refugee and the reasons he or she needs to come to a new country are described in the UNHCR s file. The Migration Board can reach a decision based on an examination of the files, or after conducting additional interviews with the refugees during selection missions in the countries where they are residing. 3 PREPARATIONS Refugees who are accepted for resettlement are offered a residence and an initial support program in a municipality. If possible, staff from the Migration Board, the municipalities, and sometimes the Swedish Public Employment Service, implement a preparation program prior to the refugees departure to Sweden. The Migration Board examines every person based on Swedish law and court practice, and gives a permanent residence permit to those who are judged to be refugees or persons otherwise in need of protection. EMERGENCY CASES Sometimes refugees need to get to safety quickly. Sweden offers about 350 persons the possibility of being examined and resettled with priority every year. 4 TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS The travel arrangements are made by the Migration Board with the help of IOM, the International Organization for Migration. Many quota refugees arrive at Arlanda Airport. From there, they travel directly on to the various municipalities. 5 A NEW LIFE The quota refugees new lives begin in the municipalities. Together with the Swedish Public Employment Service, adult refugees form a plan for their introduction to working life, including such things as learning Swedish and civic orientation. Children start preschool or school. 6 THE SWEDISH REFUGEE QUOTA

7 PHOTO: LINKIN AB/DAVID EINAR Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) is included as part of the introduction plan for all newly arrived quota refugees. The municipalities are responsible for SFI New in town with a lot to learn Those selected under the refugee quota receive a residence permit without a time limit. Their time as a refugee under UNHCR protection is over, and their lives as residents of Sweden have begun. A municipality taking them in also means that refugees become municipal residents like everyone else but with an exceptional amount of new things to encounter and learn. A municipality taking them in is the prerequisite for offering refugees a new, safer life in Sweden. Immediately after their arrival, most often at Arlanda, they travel on to the various municipalities. An apartment that the new residents can rent is waiting there, but for the most part it s fairly empty. Only the bare necessities are there so that the refugees can sleep and cook food for the first few days. They can then furnish and equip their new home as they like. If they don t have any money, they can apply for a home equipment loan. MANY PRACTICAL QUESTIONS AT THE START At first, there are many practical matters to be arranged everything from local registration, ID cards, and bank accounts to finding shops, going to health care consultations, and making sure the children can start school. The adults need to start planning for the future, with an eye to providing THE SWEDISH REFUGEE QUOTA 7

8 PHOTO: LINKIN AB DAVID EINAR Kasanat, almost 3, has found his way at preschool and is drawing together with his teacher, Thomas for themselves and standing on their own two feet as soon as possible. Together with an employment officer, they put together what s known as an introduction plan. Depending on their education and work experience, age, and health, activities are added to the individual plan. Getting into Swedish society and understanding it is often full-time work. Those working on their introduction to Sweden in accordance with the plan receive introduction compensation from the state for up to two years. SWEDISH AND PLANNING FOR EMPLOYMENT Learning Swedish and getting oriented in Swedish society are two activities included in every introduction plan. The municipalities offer new arrivals Swedish for Immigrants and 60 hours of social orientation. In addition, the Swedish Public Employment Service offers contributions in preparing for work, such as translation and evaluation of credentials, review of job qualifications, and information on the labour market, internships, and training. LIKE ANY OTHER MUNICIPAL RESIDENT Apart from what s included in the initial reception, quota refugee have access to social services under the same conditions as any other municipal resident. We go to the same schools, the same clinics, and the same libraries. We sit in the same waiting rooms at the dentist s office, pay the same patient s fees at the doctor, and pay the same amount for prescription medicine. If we kick the same ball on the same football teams, work out at the same gyms, and grow potatoes in the same community gardens, perhaps the way into Swedish society might be easier and shorter for those of us new to Sweden. 8 THE SWEDISH REFUGEE QUOTA

9 Carefully prepared resettlement is also of use for those who remain For the Abdi family from Somalia, or for Bokresion from Eritrea, who is just now taking her youngest daughter Kasanat to preschool, selection under the refugee quota and moving to Sweden means a chance at a new start in life. But UNHCR and Sweden are aiming for resettlement to also be indirectly of use for those who remain refugees. By making smart, well-considered selections of quota refugees, the remaining refugees can make use of them. In a camp that is over capacity, for example, emigration can lead to better access to school or health care for those remaining. It can be difficult for countries that take in large numbers of refugees to keep their borders open. At the same time, closed borders can mean a deadly threat for people trying to escape. If several countries set up annual resettlement quotas, vulnerable countries will be able to keep their borders open, and perhaps even accept a number of refugees settling there. NOT ENOUGH QUOTA SLOTS Every year, UNHCR provides a breakdown of how many of the over 10 million refugees under the organisation s protection are in need of resettlement. An estimate for 2012 showed that approximately 780,000 refugees would need a new home country over the coming years. At the same time, UNHCR is fighting with a growing gap between the need for and access to quota slots. There are certainly more countries in the world than ever before drawing up annual or temporary refugee quotas. But there are often numerically few places offered, while the need is growing more quickly. UNHCR is working to get more countries involved in resettlement of quota refugees and to get the approximately 25 countries that already offer annual quotas to increase their intake. The refugee commission also supports collaboration between resettlement countries so that the joint selection has the most positive effects possible. UNHCR assembles all resettlement countries, and non-governmental organisations in those countries, at an annual tripartite consultation (ATCR). Common problems are discussed there, as are common campaigns PROVIDING THE MOST VULNERABLE WITH SECURITY Sweden is part of a group of countries that have selected quota refugees for more than 60 years, and which institute THE SWEDISH REFUGEE QUOTA 9

10 an annual resettlement programme every year in collaboration with UNHCR. Resettlement began to develop in Europe after the Second World War. There were still more than one million people in refugee camps who could not, or did not wish to, return to their home country. The United States, Canada, and Australia quickly established themselves as the major resettlement countries which they still are today. Sweden s quota selection also began in European camps in Since the Second World War, resettlement of quota refugees has shifted focus, from primarily trying to find new home countries for as many as possible. Today, it has developed into a tool for guaranteeing quick rescue from severe threats and into a long-term solution for the most vulnerable: Those who otherwise lacking an offer of resettlement in a new home country are left to their fate in an agonizing limbo. PHOTO: LINKIN AB/DAVID EINAR 10 THE SWEDISH REFUGEE QUOTA

11 NOV 2011 PHOTO: UNHCR/N.Bose, Migrationsverket/W.Samuelsson/Angre, Linkin AB/David Einar PRINT: Rydheims tryckeri PRODUCTION: The Migration Board in cooperation with Linkin AB