At least 121 young people were ordered to leave Sweden alone
A new review has identified at least 121 young adults who received removal orders in 2025 while their parents and siblings were allowed to remain in Sweden.
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In its decision review, Aftonbladet examined 424 Swedish Migration Agency decisions involving people aged 18 to 21 who had sought permits through a family connection. It excluded cases where the young person was ordered to leave with a parent or where the sponsor was a partner.
Most of the 121 were upper-secondary students, according to the review, and many also worked. In some cases, applications filed before the applicant turned 18 were decided only after they had aged out of the legal definition of a child.
The review covers only part of the 2,001 removal decisions issued to people aged 18 to 21 last year, meaning the total number of comparable cases may be higher. Sweden's Parliamentary Ombudsman has separately called the agency's handling times in family-connection cases wholly unacceptable.
Parliament has approved a new route from 1 October for some applicants under 21 who previously held permits through their parents. Temporary rules will also allow certain applications from inside Sweden, but they will not cover everyone already removed or those who have turned 21.
The file photograph shows a 2013 Stockholm demonstration against deportations and Swedish migration policy. It does not show anyone in Aftonbladet's 2025 review.
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