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- | Protection and asylum in Sweden
- | If you have sought protection and asylum in Sweden
- | Financial support
Housing and financial assistance
Housing offered by the Migration Board
Housing offered by the Migration Board (centre accommodation) is either in an apartment in a normal housing area or at a centre. If you choose to live at a centre you will need to move to a town where we can offer you a place.
If you have money of your own you pay for the accommodation yourself. If you do not have any money the centre accommodation is free. Single persons will need to share a room. A family can have its own room but must expect to share an apartment with other people. It could be that you need to move around within the centre or to another centre during the processing period.
If you are granted a residence permit, and are entitled to an introduction plan, the Public Employment Service can in connection with your introduction interview, help you to get housing in a municipality.
If you are granted a residence permit on the basis of employment, you must arrange your own housing.
Own accommodation
If you choose to arrange somewhere to live yourself you will as a rule be personally responsible for the cost of the accommodation. If for any reason you cannot remain living in accommodation you have arranged yourself, you can move to one of the Migration Board´s centres where there is a place. Contact the reception unit where you are registered for further information.
If you have arranged accommodation yourself and you are granted a residence permit you are regarded as being a resident there one month from the date on which you receive the permit decision. If you would like help to find somewhere to live other than the place you had during the investigation period, you must first move within the same period of time to centre accommodation.
Economy
Allowance
If you can not find work or if you for some reason do not have money, you can apply for daily allowance. At reception centres where food is provided free of charge, the daily allowance is:
- SEK 24 per day for single adults
- SEK 19 per person per day for adults sharing accommodation
- SEK 12 per day for a child up to and including the age of 17 years. (From the third child onwards the allowance is halved.)
The daily allowance, which should be enough to buy food, is as follows:
- SEK 71 per day for single adults
- SEK 61 per person per day for adults sharing accommodation
- SEK 37 per day for children up to the age of three years
- SEK 43 per day for children aged 4-10 years
- SEK 50 per day for children aged 11-17 years. (From the third child onwards the allowance is halved.)
Apart from food, the daily allowance should be sufficient to pay for: clothes and shoes, medical care and medicine, dental care, toiletries, other consumables and leisure activities.
If you are granted a daily allowance by the Migration Board you will receive a bank card where the money is deposited. For further information contact a case officer at the Migration Board.
Housing allowance
If you have been offered or have received a job you can apply for a housing allowance. This applies if the period of employment is longer than three months and you need to move to a town where the Migration Board does not have any accommodation.
The housing allowance is:
- SEK 850 per month for families
- SEK 350 per month for single persons.
Conditions for payment
You must report how much money you have with you and your other assets. If you find a job, both you and your employer are required to notify the Migration Board. You shall also notify the Migration Board if your financial situation should change during the processing period — if you find a job for example.
It is important that you report your financial situation and changes in your financial situation
otherwise you could be found guilty of fraud.
The daily allowance may be reduced if, for example:
- you do not co-operate to prove your identity
- you make the asylum application investigation more difficult, for example by not informing the Migration Board of your current address
- you do not come to an investigation meeting when you are summoned
- you do not assist in returning if you have been refused entry or if you are to be expelled.
Decision on financial support
When the Swedish Migration Board has made a decision on financial support you will be informed of the decision either
- by a case officer at your reception unit or
- via simplified service (see below).
If you want to appeal
If you believe that the Swedish Migration Board has made an incorrect decision about your financial support you are entitled to appeal. You must submit your appeal to the Swedish Migration Board within 3 weeks from the day you were informed of the decision (were served).
If the Swedish Migration Board does not change its decision your appeal will be handed over to the administrative court, which will then examine the Migration Board´s decision.
Simplified service
Simplified service means that the Swedish Migration Board sends the decision in an ordinary letter to the address that you have provided. The next day we will send another letter to the same address informing you that we have sent a decision. This reduces the risk of error. In this way the Board considers that you have been informed of the decision (been served) two weeks after we have sent it to you. After that you have three weeks to appeal the decision.
If the address you have provided cannot be used and you are registered in Sweden, the decision and follow-up letter may be sent to the address you are registered at.
As long as you have an application that is being considered by the Swedish Migration Board it is important that you keep the reception unit informed of your current address. Also remember to check your post at least every two weeks.
If you appeal the administrative court may choose to inform you of their decision via simplified service.
bank card
If you lose your bank card or if it is stolen you must block the card immediately.
Notify ICA Banken by phone on 033-435 98 29, in Swedish or English only. You must give your card number, serial number or dossier number.
Report it to the police.
Take the police report to the Migration Board unit where you are registered in order to get a new card.
Remember that you must block your card and make a police report in order for the Migration Board to give you a new card.
