New Reception Act – changes from 1 October

On 1 October, a geographical restriction will be introduced for everyone who applies for international protection and for people who have received a return decision. As a general rule, this means that you are not allowed to leave the county where the accommodation assigned to you by the Swedish Migration Agency is located. If the Swedish Migration Agency has given you permission to live somewhere else, the geographical restriction will instead apply to the county where you live.

If you need to leave the area, you can apply to the Swedish Migration Agency for permission.

Attendance checks at Swedish Migration Agency centres

If you are aged 16 or over and live at one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s reception and return centres, you must take part in attendance checks from 1 October. The Swedish Migration Agency will inform you about how the attendance checks work.

If you have special grounds for not taking part in an attendance check, you can apply to the Swedish Migration Agency for permission.

Reapply for daily allowance no later than 30 September

If you do not have money of your own and still need daily allowance from the Swedish Migration Agency after 1 October, you must reapply for daily allowance. The Swedish Migration Agency will then make a new decision under the new Reception Act.

To receive daily allowance from 1 October, the Swedish Migration Agency must receive your new application no later than 30 September. If we receive your application later, you may not receive daily allowance for some days. The Swedish Migration Agency cannot grant daily allowance for any period before we receive your application.

You can find the new application form on this page:

Financial aid for people applying for international protection (asylum)

You can also get the form at one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s offices.

If you have a return decision that can be enforced

The new Reception Act introduces specific changes if you have received a decision to return to your country of origin that can be enforced.

If you are aged 16 or over, you must also report to the Swedish Migration Agency three times a week. The Swedish Migration Agency will inform you where and when you need to report. If you have special grounds for not attending on a particular occasion, you can apply to the Swedish Migration Agency for permission.

To be entitled to daily allowance, you must cooperate with the measures needed to enforce the return decision.

More obligations may affect your daily allowance

You already need to meet certain conditions to receive daily allowance. From 1 October, there will be more situations in which your daily allowance may be reduced or you may lose it completely.

Your daily allowance may be affected if you do not comply with your geographical restriction or do not report to the Swedish Migration Agency. It may also be reduced if you seriously misbehave at the accommodation provided by the Swedish Migration Agency.

You must also continue to meet the other conditions that apply to you. This may, for example, be that you need to cooperate in establishing your identity.

You may have to repay an allowance

One change under the new law is that the Swedish Migration Agency can require you to repay daily allowance or a special grant that has been paid to you incorrectly. This may be the case if you received an allowance that you were not entitled to because you provided incorrect information or did not tell the Swedish Migration Agency about something that affects your right to the allowance.

If your financial situation changes, you must inform the Swedish Migration Agency. For example, you or your partner may start working and receive an income.

If you have AT-UND, you can generally keep it

The rules on when a person applying for international protection can be granted AT-UND (exemption from the work permit requirement) will change on 1 October. It will only be possible to be granted AT-UND if the Swedish Migration Agency has not made a decision in the case within six months of the application being registered.

If you already have AT-UND when the new law comes into force, the general rule is that you can keep it. This means that you can continue to work. In some cases, an existing AT-UND may cease to apply. If this happens, the Swedish Migration Agency will inform you.

You may be covered by the Reception Act for longer

One important change is that you may continue to be covered by the Reception Act even after a return decision has come into effect (has started to apply) or the time limit for voluntary departure has expired. This means that the rules on accommodation and financial aid, among other things, may continue to apply until you leave Sweden.

If you previously received a decision that you were no longer covered by LMA

If you previously received a decision that you were no longer covered by LMA, you may be covered by the new Reception Act from 1 October. You will then be registered in the Swedish Migration Agency’s reception system again. This means that you will have both rights and obligations.

You will be assigned a place at one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s reception and return centres and may be entitled to accommodation, daily allowance and a special grant if you meet the conditions. If you are aged 16 or over, you must also report to the Swedish Migration Agency three times a week.

Everyone affected will be invited to a meeting

The Swedish Migration Agency will invite everyone affected by the changes to a meeting to discuss what the new rules mean for you and what you need to do. You do not need to contact the Swedish Migration Agency to book the meeting. We will invite you when it is time.