STOCKHOLM: Sweden’s center-right government said on Friday it planned to make all asylum seekers live in migrant reception centers while their cases are processed, in a further tightening of immigration regulations.
People will have to prove that they have moved to the centers, or risk losing their benefits, and also agree to travel restrictions, Migration Minister Johan Forssell told reporters.
Successive governments have tightened immigration policies since 2015 when around 160,000 asylum seekers sought refuge in Sweden. The issue has driven the rise of anti-immigration parties across Europe and is likely to be a key factor in Sweden’s parliamentary elections in September.
“People who are in the system will have to live with the Migration Agency ... I want to stress that these aren’t prisons,” Forssell said.
He said the current law, which allows asylum seekers to choose their own living arrangements, had led to problems with overcrowding, social exclusion and made it easier for people to stay in Sweden illegally.
The number of asylum applications had dropped to around 10,000 by 2024.
But the current minority coalition, backed by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, says even more needs to be done to cut numbers coming to Sweden.
It has blamed decades of what it sees as unrestricted immigration for a surge in gang crime in recent years.
Under the new proposal, which the government hopes will come into force in October, asylum seekers who fail to comply could also have their applications automatically withdrawn.
People whose cases have been rejected would also have to register their whereabouts on a regular basis to prevent them going underground.
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Sweden to make asylum seekers live in centers in further tightening of rules
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Sweden to make asylum seekers live in centers in further tightening of rules
- Successive governments have tightened immigration policies since 2015 when around 160,000 asylum seekers sought refuge in Sweden
Romanian president to attend Washington ‘Board of Peace’ meeting as observer
Bucharest — ROU
Bucharest, Feb 15, 2026 : Romanian President Nicusor Dan announced on Sunday that he would attend as observer the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace.”
“Next week I will take part in the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, responding to the invitation addressed by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump,” Dan wrote on X, after having recently said that his country was still considering whether to join the body, of which Trump is the chairman.
The board, originally intended to oversee the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip after two years of the Israel-Hamas war, is set to have its first meeting on February 19 in Washington.
Its permanent members must pay $1 billion to join, which lead to criticisms that the board could become a “pay-to-play” version of the UN Security Council.
“Romania will have observer status and I will reaffirm our strong support for international peace efforts and our willingness to participate in the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip,” Dan added on X on Sunday.
Earlier this week, the Romanian president told reporters that Romania is interested in taking part in the Washington talks as the country “has traditional relations with both Israel and the Arab countries in the region,” adding that “the situation in Gaza is important for Europe.”
Since Trump launched his “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.
Some countries, including Croatia, France, Italy, New Zealand and Norway, have declined to join, while others like Romania have said they could only consider doing so if its charter were changed.
ani/oaa/sbk
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Bucharest, Feb 15, 2026 : Romanian President Nicusor Dan announced on Sunday that he would attend as observer the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace.”
“Next week I will take part in the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, responding to the invitation addressed by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump,” Dan wrote on X, after having recently said that his country was still considering whether to join the body, of which Trump is the chairman.
The board, originally intended to oversee the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip after two years of the Israel-Hamas war, is set to have its first meeting on February 19 in Washington.
Its permanent members must pay $1 billion to join, which lead to criticisms that the board could become a “pay-to-play” version of the UN Security Council.
“Romania will have observer status and I will reaffirm our strong support for international peace efforts and our willingness to participate in the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip,” Dan added on X on Sunday.
Earlier this week, the Romanian president told reporters that Romania is interested in taking part in the Washington talks as the country “has traditional relations with both Israel and the Arab countries in the region,” adding that “the situation in Gaza is important for Europe.”
Since Trump launched his “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.
Some countries, including Croatia, France, Italy, New Zealand and Norway, have declined to join, while others like Romania have said they could only consider doing so if its charter were changed.
ani/oaa/sbk
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