Eurostat statistics show that Sweden stands out

22-year-old student Sahar will be deported to Afghanistan. She is not alone.

Afghan asylum seekers have more difficulty obtaining a residence permit in Sweden than in other EU countries.

– It’s irrelevant, but thought-provoking, says Per Adolfson of the Swedish Migration Board’s legal department.

Data from the European statistics office Eurostat shows that during the first quarter of the year, Sweden granted 180 Afghan residence permits and made 120 decisions on deportation.

Thus, the percentage of positive messages continued 60 percent.

This places Sweden in a special place in Eurostat’s statistics.

No other country that made decisions on asylum cases for Afghan nationals at the beginning of the year has an equally low rate of approval.

Germany (92%), Spain (99), Italy (95), Greece (95), Austria (93), Switzerland (98) and the Netherlands (99) had a much higher proportion of residence permits granted.

In two countries, Liechtenstein and Poland, each asylum application led to a positive result (in Poland it was 25 people and in Liechtenstein 5).

‘Stats are hard’

It was only France, the country where many Afghans who refused Sweden applied for and received a residence permit, which had a 64 percent approval rate close to the Swedish level.

Statistics are always hard. I don’t know how to do in other countries, says Per Adolfson, Acting Head of Immigration Law Unit at Swedish Migration Agency The Legal Department, which directs and supports operational activities in asylum and immigration law issues.

Are Eurostat numbers unreliable?

Well, my point is that you can look at statistics in different ways and countries score in different ways. I’m not saying this is the full explanation, but it could be a partial explanation.

Judging by the numbers, the differences are significant. Why is it like that?

– I can’t answer this. There are differences in legal systems and the composition of applicant pools can also vary between countries. What we look at a lot is how the cases change in court and there we see that we don’t have a high rate of change.

Does it matter to Sweden to stand out?

– Yes, in some formal sense, I would say it is irrelevant. But on the other hand, it’s thought-provoking.

What are the ideas?

– I’d like to know what makes the difference – I agree that’s an interesting question. If it deviates from other countries’ ratings, that’s something to look at.

How should Sweden’s deportations to Afghanistan go?

– When we consider whether there are practical application possibilities, we decide whether it is actually possible to travel to the country. Is it possible to fly there? She is now. Given the design of Swedish legislation, the basic position is that one must respect the decision of the authority and, so to speak, must impose oneself. If you get a negative resolution, go home.

A spokesman for the Taliban regime said that the returnees will be brought before a Sharia court. Is this something the Migration Agency has to do with?

– We relate to all the information we receive, which is related to the situation in the country. But the individual statement must be linked to the other country’s information about what actually happens upon return.

The last time the Taliban were in power, between 1996 and 2001, Sweden did not deport people there. Has the Taliban changed and the situation is less dangerous now?

No, it cannot be said that it is harmless. However, we must make individual assessments based on the reasons given by each individual. I find it very difficult to say what parts the security situation has changed, but I can say that the Taliban regime is not as oppressive as it used to be.