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Sweden lowers asylum-seeker forecast

Xinhua, October 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

Asylum-seeker numbers in Sweden are set to drop to around 29,000 this year as a result of tougher rules imposed by the government as well as tighter controls in Europe.

In July, the Swedish Migration Agency stated it expected 34,500 people to have sought asylum by the end of 2016. In a fresh forecast on Tuesday, the agency said it expected Sweden to receive 29,000 asylum applications this year.

Since the spring, Sweden has received an average of 500 asylum applications per week, a major decrease compared to 2015. That means the migration agency is also revising its forecast for 2017 and is now counting on 36,700 asylum seekers next year, as opposed to the 51,200 predicted in the July prognosis.

Processing times for asylum applications look set to remain lengthy, with the average currently at roughly 15 months. However, the processing time is expected to drop to 12 months next year and to four months in 2018.

The number of unaccompanied minors arriving in Sweden is also dropping and stands currently at 35 per week. Endit