{{Short description|Swedish administrative authority}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Expand Swedish|date=July 2022|topic=gov}} {{Infobox government agency | name = Swedish Migration Agency | native_name = Migrationsverket | native_name_a = | native_name_r = | type = | seal = | seal_width = | seal_caption = | logo = Logotyp för Migrationsverket.svg | logo_width = | logo_caption = Logotype of the Swedish Migration Agency | image = | image_size = | image_caption = | formed = 1 July 1969 | preceding1 = | preceding2 = <!-- up to |preceding6= --> | dissolved = | superseding1 = | superseding2 = <!-- up to |superseding6= --> | jurisdiction = | headquarters = Norrköping<ref name=about>{{cite web|title=About the Migration Agency|url=http://www.migrationsverket.se/English/About-the-Migration-Agency.html|publisher=Swedish Migration Agency|accessdate=9 August 2015|language=English}}</ref> | coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LATITUDE|LONGITUDE|type:landmark_region:US|display=inline,title}} --> | motto = | employees = | budget = | minister1_name = Johan Forssell | minister1_pfo = Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy | minister2_name = | minister2_pfo = | deputyminister1_name = | deputyminister1_pfo = | deputyminister2_name = | deputyminister2_pfo = <!-- up to |deputyminister8_name= --> | chief1_name = Maria Mindhammar<ref name="SenMan">{{cite web |title=Senior Management |url=https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/About-the-Migration-Agency/Our-organisation/Senior-Management.html |website=Swedish Migration Agency |accessdate=1 February 2025}}</ref> | chief1_position = Director-General | chief2_name = Annika Gottberg<ref name="SenMan"/> | chief2_position = Deputy Director-General | public_protector = | deputy = | parent_department = Ministry of Justice | parent_agency = | child1_agency = | child2_agency = <!-- up to |child25_agency= --> | keydocument1 = '''Government Instruction:'''<br>{{SFS|2019|502}} | website = {{URL|https://www.migrationsverket.se}} | agency_id = | map = | map_size = | map_caption = | footnotes = | embed = }} The '''Swedish Migration Agency''' ({{langx|sv|Migrationsverket}}), is a Swedish government agency, established on 1 July 1969.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.migrationsverket.se/Om-Migrationsverket/Migration-till-Sverige/Historik.html|title=Historik|publisher=Swedish Migration Agency|language=Swedish|date=26 August 2020}}</ref> Its task is to evaluate and decide on applications from people who want to seek a temporary residence permit or acquire permanent residence or citizenship in Sweden. This makes it involved in immigration to Sweden
The Swedish Migration Agency is under the Ministry of Justice and operates nationwide from about 40 offices. It is headquartered in Norrköping in Östergötland and is led by a Director General, currently Anders Danielsson. In 2014, the agency received 81,301 applications for asylum, of which 31,220 were granted.<ref name=about/><ref name=esv>{{cite web|title=Regleringsbrev för budgetåret 2015 avseende Migrationsverket|url=http://esv.se/Verktyg--stod/Statsliggaren/Regleringsbrev/?RBID=16195|publisher=Swedish National Financial Management Authority|accessdate=9 August 2015|language=Swedish}}</ref>
In 2017 according to calculations done by weekly magazine Fokus, the agency's budget for unaccompanied minors alone at 27 billion krona represented 37% of the UNHCR's budget for managing refugees over the entire planet.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.fokus.se/2017/02/rontgentraumat/|title=Röntgentraumat - Fokus|date=23 February 2017|work=Fokus|access-date=4 June 2017|language=sv-SE}}</ref>
==History== On 1 July 1969, a new government agency was established: the '''National Swedish Immigration and Naturalization Board'''<ref>{{cite book |url=https://runeberg.org/svenfack/1608.html |last=Gullberg |first=Ingvar E. |title=Svensk-engelsk fackordbok för näringsliv, förvaltning, undervisning och forskning |trans-title=A Swedish-English dictionary of technical terms used in business, industry, administration, education and research |edition=2nd |year=1977 |publisher=Norstedt |location=Stockholm |language=sv |isbn=91-1-775052-0 |id={{SELIBR|8345587}} |page=1586}}</ref> ({{langx|sv|Statens invandrarverk}}, commonly known as ''Invandrarverket''), which at the time was responsible for both integration and immigration matters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.migrationsverket.se/Om-Migrationsverket/Migration-till-Sverige/Historik.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209110738/https://www.migrationsverket.se/Om-Migrationsverket/Migration-till-Sverige/Historik.html |publisher=Swedish Migration Agency |title=Historik |trans-title=History |date=2020-09-10 |archive-date=9 December 2020 |access-date=30 April 2025 |language=sv}}</ref> On 10 September 1999, the agency introduced a new name to its employees: '''Swedish Migration Board'''<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.csc.kth.se/~jakobn/translation/UtrikesNamnbok.pdf |title=Utrikes namnbok: svenska myndigheter, organisationer, titlar, EU- och EG-organ, EU-titlar och länder på engelska, tyska, franska, spanska, finska och ryska |edition=6th |year=2002 |publisher=Utrikesdep., Regeringskansliet |location=Stockholm |language=sv |isbn=9138319357 |id={{SELIBR|8450358}} |page=31}}</ref> ({{langx|sv|Migrationsverket}}), with the subtitle Sweden’s central authority for alien affairs (''Sveriges centrala utlänningsmyndighet''). The agency officially adopted the new name the following year.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.svd.se/arkiv/1999-09-12/SVNY/4 |newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet |title=Invandrarverket byter namn |trans-title=The board changes name |page=4 |agency=TT |date=1999-09-12 |access-date=30 April 2025 |language=sv |url-access=subscription}}</ref> As part of a reorganization in March 2015, its English name was changed to '''Swedish Migration Agency'''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.altinget.se/artikel/migrationsverket-byter-namn-paa-engelska |website=www.altinget.se |title=Migrationsverket byter namn på engelska |trans-title=The Swedish Migration Board changes its name in English |first=Ola |last=Hjalmarsson |date=4 March 2015 |access-date=30 April 2025 |language=sv}}</ref>
== Criticism == {{Vertical bar chart|full_name=Swedish Migration Agency annual expenditure 2007- , 10{{sup|9}} SEK |position=right|color=purple|type=Expenditure|2007|6.7|2008|10.1|2009|10.4|2010|10.8|2011|10.9|2012|11.2|2013|14.5|2014|18.6|2015|26.8|2016|52.2|2017|53.8|2018|34.1|note={{smalldiv| {{legend|#990099|Billion (10{{sup|9}}) SEK. Expenditure is ''Område 8'' and ''Område 13'' <br/>According to table ''Redovisning mot anslag'' <br/>Column ''Utgifter'' for each year in the annual reports.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.migrationsverket.se/Om-Migrationsverket/Styrning-och-uppfoljning/Redovisning-av-verksamheten.html|title=Redovisning av verksamheten|website=www.migrationsverket.se|language=sv|access-date=10 November 2017}}</ref>}}}}}}
The Swedish Migration Agency has come under criticism for its opaque handling of expatriate work permit applications and inordinate delays coupled with over-zealous, often controversial, readings of Swedish regulations related to insurance requisites for work permit extensions. The Agency continues to process applications with delays extending up to 10 months in some cases.
In May 2016 the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine ''sv: Rättsmedicinalverket (RMV)'' started aiding the agency with determining the age of migrants claiming to be under 18. The first batch of 518 investigations indicated that 442 were likely adult and the rest retained their status as unaccompanied minors, which gave access to education, better housing and greater likelihood of refugee status. Of the 442, 430 were men and 12 women.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rmv.se/aktuellt/de-forsta-medicinska-aldersbedomningarna-klara/|title=De första medicinska åldersbedömningarna klara - Rättsmedicinalverket|work=Rättsmedicinalverket|access-date=31 May 2017|language=sv-SE}}</ref> RMV was tasked with doing the backlog of 3000 - 14000 age investigations which had been obstructed by Swedish Bar Association lawyers, doctors, dentists and officials of National Board of Health and Welfare.<\ref>
In June 2016 the SMA expressed doubts about 70% of asylum applicants purportedly 15-17.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/681228/child-migrants-age-test-sweden-department-migration-refugee |website=express.co.uk |title=Migrants set to undergo age tests after 'lying child refugees' bamboozle officials |first=Vincent |last=Wood |date=19 June 2016 |quote=The Swedish Migration Agency claim there is reason to doubt as many as 70 per cent of asylum applicants who say they are between the ages of 15 and 17.}}</ref>
In July 2018, the agency together with municipalities of Sweden was criticised by the national agency against honor-related crime (Swedish: ''nationella kompetensteamet mot hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck'') for not doing enough to discover and rectify child marriages among migrants.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=83&artikel=6995629|title="Barnäktenskap måste upptäckas tidigare"|last=Medelius|first=Raina|date=13 July 2018|work=Sveriges Radio|access-date=14 July 2018|language=sv}}</ref>
==See also== *Government agencies in Sweden
==References== {{reflist}}
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Migrationsverket Category:Foreign relations of Sweden Category:Organisations based in Norrköping