|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Somalia, published a legal comment on Nicaragua and on the increased violence in Afghanistan during summer 2019, and temporarily stopped decisions in cases involving applicants from the Hasskah province of Syria based on its new situational analysis. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The “Asylum360” pilot project of 2018 was extended to more regions, combining the accommodation of asylum seekers and the examination of their applications into one continuous process to handle as many cases as possible without interruptions. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
A new electronic personal interview form with child-friendly language and structure was developed. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Swedish Migration Agency published a new handbook on human trafficking, with a part focusing on improving the identification of victims and perpetrators within the asylum procedure. The template for interviewing unaccompanied minors was updated to better detect signs of human trafficking. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Institutional |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The Swedish Migration Agency decided to restructure its head office which would be effective in 2020, as well as restructuring and reducing the regions from five to three. The number of full-time equivalent employees was also decreased from 5 842 to 5 096. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Applicants are not entitled to daily allowance anymore if they choose to reside in specific areas with high rates of immigrants and socio-economic challenges (32 municipalities listed), in order to avoid segregation. |
SE LEG 02 2019 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Content of protection |
The government provided funding to increase the length of civic orientation from 60 to 100 hours. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
The Swedish Migration Agency launched a portal allowing legal counsellors to submit appeals against first instance decisions electronically. Another pilot continued, in cooperation with the Swedish National Courts Administration, to digitally transfer appeals between the agency and the courts. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Swedish Migration Agency published new instructions on handling LGBTI cases and changed its system on assessing these cases. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
In preparation for the entry into force of the UN CRC Act (2018:1197) on 1 January 2020, the Swedish Migration Agency developed guidelines on assessing the best interests of the child in accordance with Article 3 of the UN CRC, trained around 500 case officers and 40 head of units in children's rights, and developed a technical tool supporting the determination of the best interests of the child. It also developed new guidelines on the placement of unaccompanied minor applicants assigned to a municipality. Information on the asylum procedure was developed specially for children aged 7 to 12 years, available through a mobile application. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Institutional |
|
Country of origin information |
The COI Unit became part of the newly-established Section for Information Analysis of the Swedish Migration Agency. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
The application of the law was extended until 19 July 2021 and beneficiaries of international protection continued to receive temporary residence permits instead of a permanent one. The law lifted the ban on family reunification for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. |
SE LEG 01 2019 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Content of protection |
The government increased funding for fast tracks, which were established to support entry into the job market for beneficiaries of international protection who have education, work or training experience. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Content of protection |
The government tasked the Swedish Council for Higher Education to develop and pilot special measures for: a) skills validation and the recognition of qualifications when documentary evidence is missing and b) when the educational level is documented but the level was not completed. The Council also worked on a permanent structure for the recognition and accreditation of prior learning. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Swedish Migration Agency created an online training for its staff on gender-based violence within the asylum procedure. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
The Dublin procedure |
The Swedish Migration Agency revised its Dublin tracks by reflecting the estimated handling time of the case and improvements to its IT systems allowed more rapid information exchanges on Dublin cases. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
Since 1 January 2019, Sweden does not recognise the validity of child marriages from abroad, so the agency updated its standards for handling cases related to married child applicants and developed relevant information material in collaboration with the National Board of Health and Welfare. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Statelessness in the context of asylum |
Persons born in Sweden and having been stateless since birth may receive under certain conditions a permanent residence permit. |
SE LEG 01 2019 |
|
Spain |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The decree enabled the reception centres for unaccompanied minors in Ceuta and Melilla to receive funding directly. |
ES LEG 01 2019 |
|
Spain |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
Applications lodged by Venezuelan and other Latin American nationals were prioritised. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Spain |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The instruction granted the right to work for working-age unaccompanied minors. |
ES LEG 02 2019 |
|
Spain |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The number of staff working on asylum was increased. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Spain |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
Case-handling guidelines were issued, for example based on gender, credibility and assessment of medical reports. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Slovenia |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to process asylum applications |
Georgia, Nepal and Senegal were added to the list of safe third countries, while Turkey was removed from the list. |
SI LEG 01 2019 |
|
Slovakia |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Statelessness in the context of asylum |
The Act on Census of Population and Housing 2021 was adopted, which provides for information collection, not only on Slovak citizens, but also on other EU nationals, third country nationals and stateless persons. |
SK LEG 01 2019 |