Mohammed wants to leave Sweden for a better future in Syria – but is denied repatriation benefits. Mohammed has a lot of debt and has been convicted of a crime, but believes that he should receive the money precisely for that reason.

The so-called repatriation benefits are intended to encourage people with permanent or temporary residence permits to voluntarily leave Sweden, and to give them the financial opportunity to move back to their home country.

One person who has taken advantage of this offer is Mohammed from Syria, where the repatriation benefits would have enabled him to have a very financially advantageous new start. Although it is difficult to obtain exact figures, the average monthly salary after tax in Syria is approximately 600–700 Swedish kronor (approximately 81 USD) per month.

However, Mohammed has been denied repatriation benefits, which, according to Sveriges Radio, is because he “does not meet the requirements”.

– Many times I call the Swedish Migration Board and say: “Help me, I want to leave here for my home country”, they say: “Unfortunately I can’t help you”.

But during the interview with Sveriges Radio P4 Radio Sjuhärad, the real reason comes out: Mohammed has been convicted of attempted extortion and has a large debt to the Swedish bailiff. That is why he wants to leave Sweden.

– If my name is good, if my name is clean, if I have no debt, why should I go back?, asks Mohammed, who believes that the repatriation allowance should be aimed specifically at people like him.

However, Ludvig Aspling, the Sweden Democrats’ migration policy spokesperson, has a different opinion and believes that it is absolutely right to deny Mohammed the allowance. Aspling believes that it is better to solve the problem of criminal immigrants by deporting them than by giving them large subsidies.

– It is better to deport a person accused of a crime than to give a larger subsidy for repatriation, he says.

The so-called återvandringsbidraget (repatriation benefit) was increased at the turn of the year from 10,000 to 350,000 Swedish kronor for a single person and 25,000 kronor per child. Spouses or cohabitants can be granted a maximum of 500,000 kronor, and the upper limit for a family is 600,000 kronor. The average annual salary in Syria is estimated at approximately 7,800 Swedish kronor.

Anyone who is granted a repatriation benefits can travel to their home country and apply for a residence permit in Sweden again. There is no biometric identity check.