A quota refugee is a person who has fled their country and been selected by the UN refugee agency UNHCR to move to another country. Sweden usually receives 5,000 quota refugees per year.
The Swedish Migration Agency is now tasked with preparing for the lower level. Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) says in a press release that it is important that the authority “takes all necessary measures” to adapt.
When she took office as minister, she justified the reduction by saying that Sweden accepts many quota refugees in relation to other countries.
– Today we receive the most quota refugees in the EU. Even with a level of 900, we are very high. Had other countries received the equivalent of our 900 in relation to their population, it would have looked completely different in the world, she said.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR is concerned about the consequences of Sweden’s downsizing and points out the great global need for resettlement and that the quota refugee system is a safe and controlled way to protect people fleeing war.
In 2021, Sweden received 6,401 quota refugees due to backlogs from the pandemic.