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- | Protection and asylum in Sweden
- | If you have sought protection and asylum in Sweden
- | Examining your asylum application
Examining your asylum application
Submit an application
You should apply for asylum at Sweden's border. If you have already entered Sweden, you may apply at one of the Swedish Migration Board's application units located in Gävle, Göteborg, Malmö, Märsta, Norrköping and Stockholm.
Initially, the Board determines whether it is Sweden that should examine your asylum application or whether you came from another country which has a primary obligation to do this. If it is clear that you lack grounds for asylum, the Migration Board can make a quick decision in the case; for example, you may be the citizen of another EU Member State.
You will be asked to come to several meetings at the Migration Board when you first come to Sweden. It is important that you come to all appointments which have been booked for you.
The asylum investigation
Nobody knows more than you do about why you left your country. So it is important that you right away tell us everything that happened to you in your country. The Swedish Migration Board can then make a proper assessment of whether or not you have grounds for asylum.
The Swedish Migration Board will ask you questions about your identity. You should bring your passport or other identification documents with you. The documents must show your name, where you were born and your nationality. You need to tell us why you are seeking asylum and what has happened to you. Some things are hard to talk about, but they could be especially important. If you need to, you can ask for a break during the investigation. You can bring with you to the investigation things that support your story or information about your country.
Fingerprints
Countries in the EU, as well as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, have a fingerprint database called Eurodac. It is the Swedish Migration Board that looks after this database in Sweden. If you are over the age of 14 you will be fingerprinted and your fingerprints checked against the database to see if you have applied for asylum in any of the other countries that use the database.
The Swedish Migration Board will also check your fingerprints against another database called the Schengen Information System, or SIS. SIS holds information about people who are wanted criminals etc.
Legal assistance
Most asylum seekers are allowed to have legal assistance. This is called your right to public counsel. Usually, a trained lawyer will look out for your interests and help you to explain your grounds. The Swedish Migration Board will choose a counsel for you, but you can also suggest someone whom you trust. The Migration Board will pay for the public counsel. The counsel works independently of the Swedish Migration Board and other public authorities.
If you do not have the right to public counsel, you can choose to pay for and hire your own counsel.
Translation
An interpreter translates for you when you are in contact with the Migration Board. The interpreter is neutral and will translate only what is said. The interpreter is not allowed to let his or her own private, political or religious beliefs become involved. Neither is the translator permitted to speak of what he or she has heard during your investigation. If you do not understand the interpreter, it is important that you say so.
How long does it take to reach a decision?
The Migration Board's goal is to reach a decision within three months. If you cant show proof of your identity, or your grounds for asylum, it may take longer to investigate your case. It may also, on occasion, take longer if there has been an unusual inflow of asylum applications recently.
The Migration Board examines each application individually
Each application is examined individually and if you have grounds which, according to the Aliens Act, entitle you to asylum or protection, the Migration Board will grant you a residence permit. If you have no grounds for asylum or protection, we look at whether there are any other grounds for you being able to stay in Sweden, e.g. family ties or particularly distressing circumstances.
Those who work at the Swedish Migration Board are not allowed to talk to others about who you are and your reasons for applying for asylum. They are sworn to secrecy. Secrecy means that information about you is only allowed to be given to people who have a legal right to it. Interpreters, public counsels and others working with asylum seekers are also bound to secrecy. They are not allowed, for example, tell anyone your name, address or why you are seeking asylum.
