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Divided responsibility

A number of different bodies work in the area of migration.

National cooperation


The main Swedish authorities, which are involved in different ways, are:
 
  • The Swedish embassies and consulates abroad which receive applications for visas, work permits and residence permits
  • The police who are responsible for border controls and for ensuring that some of those not permitted to stay leave the country
  • The migration courts and the Migration Court of Appeal where the decisions of the Swedish Migration Board can be appealed
  • County administrative boards which confer with municipalities in the respective county regarding introductory accommodation for asylum seekers who have received residence permits
  • Municipalities which accept asylum seekers who have received residence permits
  • County councils, with regard to caring for asylum seekers
  • Non-governmental organisations and aid organisations which provide, among other things, support for asylum seekers

The Swedish Migration Board is not just one link in the migration chain — our mandate is also to hold it together.
 

International cooperation


Migration is, by nature, international and work in this area is, to a large extent, governed by events which take place beyond Sweden's borders. By cooperating with bodies of the EU and other international organisations, the Migration Board is able to participate in and influence developments within migration policy.
 
The Board participates actively in the EU's Council working parties and Commission committees. We are also members of networks such as GDISC (General Directors' Immigration Services Conference), IGC (Inter-Governmental Consultations on Asylum, Refugee and Migration Policies in Europe, North America and Australia) and ICMPD (International Centre for Migration Policy Development).
 
The aims of cooperation within the EU include making legislation and working methods more uniform. New forms of practical cooperation within the Union are under development, including the establishment of a European Asylum Support Office. 
 
Another important factor is cooperation with international organisations such as UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) and IOM (International Organisation for Migration). For example, UNHCR is a very important partner in relation to the resettlement of quota refugees in Sweden. One of the purposes of the Board's cooperation with IOM is to implement initiatives which facilitate the return of those persons whose asylum applications have been refused.
Sidan senast uppdaterad: 2009-11-24