Housing

Your housing situation during the asylum period also determines your housing situation after you have been granted a residence permit. The financial support paid to asylum seekers is affected by their current type of housing. Contact Migrationsverket’s (the Swedish Migration Agency) Reception Unit at which you are registered for more information.

Migrationsverket’s housing

Migrationsverket administrates and decides in asylum cases. If you are an asylum seeker in need of housing during the asylum process, Migrationsverket can offer it. Migrationsverket will provide temporary housing for as long as there is a need. If you are out of contact so Migrationsverket cannot reach you, you will be removed from the reception system, and your right to housing will cease.
You may not choose where to live and must be prepared to  move to a location where there is vacant housing. If there is a shortage, you may also have to move to new housing while you await a decision. The type of housing may vary from large accomodation facilities to independent living arrangements.

Own housing

If you choose to arrange your own housing during the asylum process you are responsible for the housing costs. If, for some reason, you are unable to continue living in the housing you have arranged yourself you can move to one of Migrationsverket’s centres where there is space.
Whether you choose housing provided by Migrationsverket or arrange your own, you must be available for Migrationsverket to contact you. Remember to notify your Reception Unit of your new address if you move during your waiting time.

As a refugee or other person in need of protection who has been granted a residence permit, according to certain provisions in the Aliens Act (2005:716), you and your relatives are covered by Bosättningslagen (act on the reception of some recently arrived immigrants for settlement). The act covers those staying in accommodation centres and quota refugees. The Act means that all municipalities in Sweden have a responsibility to accept recently arrived persons assigned for settlement. The purpose of Bosättningslagen is to improve the chances for recently arrived persons to integrate into the community.

The municipalities have different conditions

The number of recently arrived persons each municipality shall accept depends on its size, labour market situation, total number of recently arrived persons and unaccompanied minors and the number of asylum seekers already staying in the municipality. The Government’s intention is for municipalities with a relatively good labour market, large population, low reception rate and relatively few asylum seekers to accept more recently arrived persons.
Migrationsverket and the county administrative boards together with the municipalities have shared responsibility for the settlement of recently arrived persons. From 1 January 2017, Migrationsverket will take over all responsibility for assigning recently arrived persons to a municipality.

You will only receive one housing offer

Being assigned to a municipality means that the municipality concerned is responsible for arranging housing for you and the family members you live with at the accommodation centre. The offer of housing may come from any municipality in Sweden, which means that you may be offered housing in a different municipality to the one you are in. This means that you are not able to choose where you will be offered housing. You may accept or decline the offer of housing. You will only get one offer. If you choose to decline, you must move out of Migrationsverket’s housing where you are staying to make space for other asylum seekers, and you will no longer be a settlement case.

If you already lived in your own housing during the asylum period, you are not covered by Bosättningslagen when you are granted a residence permit and can therefore not be assigned to a municipality. If you are granted a residence permit on the grounds of work, you must arrange your own housing. If you are staying in Migrationsverket’s housing when you are granted a residence permit, you are covered by Bosättningslagen but have the opportunity to find housing on your own.

To be awarded secure housing it is important to register as an applicant with housing companies, private and municipal. By registering with more than one property company, you will increase your chances of finding housing. As an applicant you can show an interest in vacant flats. It is the number of days in the queue that determines who gets the head lease for a flat. The person with most queueing points will be offered the flat.

1 day in the queue = 1 queueing point. Property companies may have different rules.

Settlement

Arbetsförmedlingen (the Swedish Public Employment Agency) has coordinating responsibility for you as a recently arrived person and your first two years registered in Sweden. Its task is to prepare you for the Swedish labour market. An individual settlement plan will be drawn up offering you different activities to give you a good start on your way to supporting yourself:

• Swedish language is the key to social life, and Swedish tuition SFI (Swedish for immigrants) is therefore included in the settlement plan
• Social orientation in your mother tongue
• Other efforts to prepare you for the labour market

You will receive settlement benefits provided you are actively involved in the planned activities.
Read more about the settlement programme and the support you can receive from Arbetsförmedlingen on its homepage.

• Apply for an ID card from Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency)
• Register at the right address. Your registered address determines to which municipality you pay your tax, to what address your post is sent, from where school transport runs as well as the amount of any allowances. There are many reasons to be registered at the right address.
• Register for several housing queues.
• Open a bank account. It’s important that every adult has his or her own bank account.
• Register your bank account with Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency) so your payments can be made direct to you account.
• Register at Arbetsförmedlingen to draw up a settlement plan, and apply for settlement benefit and settlement supplement. Arbetsförmedlingen will register you for Social orientation and Swedish for Immigrants (SFI).
• Register children at preschool and school.
• If you would like, you can apply for a loan to buy furniture and other necessary equipment for your home, a so-called CSN Home equipment loan. You can get help with your application from a case officer in the municipality.
• Take part in social activities such as language cafés and club activities. Contact kommunens inflyttningsenhet (integration department) kultur- och fritidsenheten (culture an leisure department) for more information.

• For more information about the asylum process, housing and finances during the asylum process, please go to Migrationsverket’s homepage www.migrationsverket.se
• Laws and regulations on settlement www.riksdagen.se
• Settlement programme www.arbetsformedlingen.se
• ID card and registration www.skatteverket.se
• Försäkringskassanwww.forsakringskassan.se
• CSN Home equipment loan www.csn.se
• How to register children for preschool and school if you have recently arrived in Sweden and how to look after your home www.ostragoinge.se

Housing companies

• Göingehem, the municipal housing company in Östra Göinge www.goingehem.se
• ABK, the municipal housing company in Kristianstad www.abk.se
• Hässlehem, the municipal housing company in www.hasslehem.se
• The municipality’s homepage contains information about private property owners in the Municipality of Östra Göinge